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Tenerife.
Icod, the Butterfly Garden.
Mariposario del Drago.
www.mariposario.com/English/index.html
Great Mormon (Papilio memnon) is a large butterfly with contrasting colors that belongs to the Swallowtail family. A common South-Asian butterfly, it is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies. The female is polymorphic and with mimetic forms.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mormon
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To the west the female is monomorphic, mimicking species of the oriental and Australasian danaid genus Euploea. Eastwards H. bolina is frequently polymorphic and most forms are then non-mimetic. In areas where it resembles Euploea the butterfly has usually been designated a Batesian mimic.H. bolina is known for maternal care, with the females guarding leaves where eggs have been laid. Males are also very territorial and site fidelity increases with age. Territories that enhance the detection of females are preferred. The female hovers over a plant to check for ants which will eat her eggs. After selecting a plant which has no ants on it, she lays at least one but often two to five eggs on the undersides of the leaves.
A mostly arboreal species with a striking green or yellow color in adults. The color pattern on this species can vary dramatically from locality to locality. For example, the Aru local is a vivid green with a broken vertebral stripe of white or dull yellow scales, the Sorong local is a bright green with blue highlights and a solid vertical stripe, and the Kofiau local is mostly yellow with varying highlights in white or blue. Cyanomorphs (blue morphs) are also known to occur but are not considered common at this time.[2] Juveniles are polymorphic, occurring in reddish, bright yellow and orange morphs.[3]
Hyles euphorbiae euphorbiae (L.), (Sphingidae)
Common name: Spurge Hawkmoth
Major hostplants: Herbaceous species of Euphorbia, especially E. paralias, E. cyparissias and in southern Europe, E. characias.
Larva in this photograph is feeding on Euphorbia paralias.
Taxonomic note: Within the Hyles genus there is a complex of species, subspecies and forms, all closely related to Hyles euphorbiae and all of which are highly polymorphic with an amazing variety of colour forms, some geographic in nature, others environmental. The Hyles euphorbiae complex is rather difficult to classify for it would seem to be in the process of diverging into a number of species.
Visit: tpittaway.tripod.com/sphinx/h_eup.htm for full details about this species.
May 24, 2008 Elaphonisi islet* (3)
*geotagged for Elaphonisi but has come up as 'Taken in Chania, Crete' which is incorrect, the Prefecture of western Crete is Chania.
Arbusto caducifolio y rizomatoso que puede lleagar a 1,5 m de alto x 10 m de ancho.
Nativo de dumas arenosas y estabilizadas en Oklahoma, Nuevo México y Texas, en Estados Unidos.
Arbustos caducifolios y rizomatosos de hasta 1,5 m de alto. Corteza gris clara, con escamas papiráceas. Yemas pardo rojizas oscuras, subglobosas, de unos 2 mm. Hojasverdes, a menudo tornándose parduscas con la edad, polimorfas, oblongas, elíptica y a veces lanceoladas, ovadas u oblanceoladas, de 3-10 cm de largo x 1-5 cm de ancho, bastante gruesas y duras, base de redondeada a cuneada, margen plano o revoluto, con 2-3 dientes redondeados a cada lado, ápice anchamente redondeado, haz lustroso y dispersamente pubescente o glabrescente, envés densamente pubescente, peciolo de unos 7 mm. Bellotas solitarias o en parejas, subsésiles o con pedúnculo de 10-18 mm, con cúpula de 10-12 mm de alto x 15-25 mm de ancho, nuez ovoide, marrón, de 12-25 x 14-18 mm. Especie nativa de Texas, Nuevo México y Oklahoma, en Estados Unidos. En Iturraran se encuentra en la zona 1.
Zuhaixka hosto erorkorrak eta errizomadunak, 1,5 m garai gehienez. Azala gris argia, ezkata papirazeoekin. Begiak arre gorrixka ilunak, ia esferikoak, 2 mm ingurukoak. Hostoak berdeak, adinarekin askotan arrexka bihurtzen dira, polimorfoak, luzangak, eliptikoak eta, batzuetan, lantzeolatuak, obatuak eta oblantzeolatuak, 3-10 cm luze x 1-5 cm zabal, aski lodiak eta gogorrak, oinaldea biribila, falka itxurakoa edo tartekoa, ertza laua edo kanpora kiribildua, 2-3 hortz biribilekin alde bakoitzean, punta biribil zabala, gainaldea distiratsua eta han-hemen ilaunduna edo ia glabroa, azpialdea ile-janzki trinkoduna, 7 mm inguruko pezioloa. Ezkurrak banaka edo binaka agertzen dira, ia eseriak edo 10-18 mm-ko pedunkuluarekin, kupula 10-12 mm garai x 15-25 mm zabal da, hurra arrautza formakoa da, marroia, 12-25 x 14-18 mm-koa. Espeziearen jatorria: Amerikako Estatu Batuetako Texas, Mexiko Berria eta Oklahoma. Iturraranen 1. gunean dago.
Arbustes à feuillage caduc et à rhizomes de jusqu’à 1,5 m de hauteur. Écorce gris clair, avec écailles papyracées. Bourgeons brun rougeâtre foncés, sous-globuleux, de quelques 2 mm. Feuilles vertes, souvent brunâtres avec l’âge, polymorphes, oblongues, elliptique et parfois lancéolées, ovales ou oblancéolées, de 3-10 cm de longueur x 1-5 cm de largeur, assez épaisses et dures, base d’arrondie à cunée, bord plat ou retourné, avec 2-3 dents arrondies de chaque côté, sommet largement arrondi, adaxial lustré et rarement pubescent ou glabrescent, abaxial densément pubescent, pétiole de quelques 7 mm. Glands solitaires ou en couples, sous-sessiles ou avec pédoncule de 10-18 mm, avec coupole de 10-12 mm de hauteur x 15-25 mm de largeur, noix ovoïde, marron, de 12-25 x 14-18 mm. Espèce originaire du Texas, du Nouveau Mexique et de l’Oklahoma, aux États-Unis. À Iturraran elle se trouve dans la zone 1.
Rhizome and deciduous bushes up to 1.5 m tall. Light grey bark, with papyraceous scales. Dark reddish brown buds, subglobose, around 2 mm. Green leaves, often turning brown with age, polymorphic, oblong, elliptic and sometimes lanceolate, ovate or oblanceolate, 3-10 cm long x 1-5 cm wide, rather thick and hard, round to cuneate base, rolled or flat edge, with 2-3 rounded teeth on each side, broadly rounded tip, shiny upper face and pubescent or glabrescent in place, underneath densely pubescent, petiole of around 7 mm. Single acorns or in pairs, subsessiles or with 10-18 mm peduncle, with 10-12 mm high x 15-25 mm wide cupule, ovoid nut, brown, 12-25 x 14-18 mm. Species native to Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma in the United States. Located in zone 1 in Iturraran.
views of Santiago (with smog cover) from atop of Cerro de San Cristobal ....
I don't know about birds, but after some research, I believe this bird to be... The Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma) - a polymorphic species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. There are disputes as to whether these belong to the Red-backed Hawk (G. polyosoma) or the Puna Hawk or Gurney's Hawk (G. poecilochrous) of the central and north Andean highlands
The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].
The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.
Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.
Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.
The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.
The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.
Las CAM Three Eyed Ghoul y Witch y las dos Operettas son de Polymorphic Monsters: polymorphic-monsters.tumblr.com/
CAM Three Eyed Ghouls and Witch and Operettas are
property of Polymorphic Monsters: polymorphic-monsters.tumblr.com/
Mi blog sobre Monster High: monsterhighshubby.blogspot.com.es/
the neighbors were beginning to worry after we began to dry our clothes from a clothesline on the rooftop. which didn't work anyway because new orleans humidity is 99% all the time.
new orleans, la
Noctuoidea > Erebidae > Arctiinae > Arctiini
Sierra Bahoruco Oriental
It is an extremely polymorphic species with the forewings varying from plain orange through banded orange and black to almost black.
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].
The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.
Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.
Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.
The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.
The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.
Rayieria basifer (Walker, 1873), to Heath trap, Aranda, ACT, 20/21 December 2015
According to Namyatova, A. & Cassis, G. 2013, and G. Cassis pers. comm., this fits R. basifer, which is a polymorphic species. It is close in appearance to the type specimen for Eucerocoris tumidiceps Horváth, 1902, which is now synonymised wuth R. basifer.
Namyatova and Cassis describe this species as follows:
"This species is recognised by its braconid-mimicking appearance, hemelytron of most species [sic] are brown to black with whitish and pinkish markings, sometimes hemelytron pale brown with markings less distinct; colouration of pronotum variable, but never with triangle-shaped dark brown to black marking, covering anterior and posterior parts of pronotum (Fig. 2); frons distinctly protruding (as in Fig. 5D); head distinctly swollen dorsally (Fig. 7D); shortest distance between AF almost as wide as eye (as in Fig. 5D); AI thinner than clypeus from anterior view, swollen apically (Fig. 6A); LIV as long as or slightly shorter than clypeus height from lateral view; left paramere widened apically (Fig. 11K); endosoma without serrate spicules, often with field of small spicules (Fig. 11I); DLP with spermathecal gland attached between lateral oviducts (Fig. 14D)."
The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].
The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.
Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.
Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.
The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.
The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, which contains at least one former group, the skippers (formerly the superfamily "Hesperioidea") and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth-butterflies (formerly the superfamily "Hedyloidea"). Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, which was about 56 million years ago.
Butterflies have the typical four-stage insect life cycle. Winged adults lay eggs on the food plant on which their larvae, known as caterpillars, will feed. The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and when fully developed, pupate in a chrysalis. When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits, the adult insect climbs out, and after its wings have expanded and dried, it flies off. Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation, and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their whole life cycle.
Butterflies are often polymorphic, and many species make use of camouflage, mimicry and aposematism to evade their predators. Some, like the monarch and the painted lady, migrate over long distances. Many butterflies are attacked by parasites or parasitoids, including wasps, protozoans, flies, and other invertebrates, or are preyed upon by other organisms. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; other species are agents of pollination of some plants. Larvae of a few butterflies (e.g., harvesters) eat harmful insects, and a few are predators of ants, while others live as mutualists in association with ants. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.
5 June 2018
Odessa Craters Trail, Lincoln County, Washington
Many of the flowers were attended by the Ornate Checkered Beetle.
Jeff Mitton wrote in the Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine:
Ornate checkered beetles, Trichoda ornatus, are bright, conspicuous and tolerant of humans, so they are easily found and fun to watch. They are indeed ornate, with metallic blue-black backgrounds, spots and lines of bright yellow, and dense, whitish or yellow hairs
The life cycle takes one year in which beetles start out as parasites and metamorphose to herbivores that become predators when the opportunity presents itself. A female lays a single egg in a flower, near the center.
As adults, ornate checkered beetles usually eat pollen, but will consume leafcutter, mason and resin bees that it encounters in flowers.
The flowers most commonly chosen for oviposition are common yarrow (Achillea millefolium), several species of buckwheat (Eriogonum), or one of the lilacs or soap bushes (Ceanothus), all pollinated by solitary bees. The egg hatches, and the larva attaches to the leg of a pollinating solitary bee (not a honey bee) to hitch a ride back to the nest.
Once in the nest, it finds its way to a cell that it being provisioned with food and prepared for an egg. After the egg is in the cell and the cell is closed, the beetle first eats the food intended for the bee. When that is gone, the beetle larva turns on the larval bee, consuming it.
Usually, one larval bee is not sufficient to fuel all of development, so the beetle larva digs through the wall of its cell to enter an adjacent cell. A larva will consume between one and eight larval bees, depending on their size—solitary bee species vary dramatically in size. When the beetle larva reaches the fourth instar, it stops feeding and then enters the pupal stage. The adult emerges in spring and adults are seen flying a few days later.
Adults feed, court, mate and oviposit on flowers. They are often seen dusted with pollen, for adults eat primarily pollen. However, they prey on solitary bees foolish enough to attempt to pollinate a flower occupied by a beetle. They have been documented to prey on bees in the genus Ashmeadiella, which contains about 50 species in three groups are commonly referred to as leafcutter, mason and resin bees.
I have found ornate checkered beetles on roses in my yard, on cinquefoils in the mountains near the town of Ward and on prickly pear flowers near the La Sal Mountains in Utah. Every one was on a yellow flower, but I have not found a great number, so I don’t know whether that is coincidence or whether yellow beetles prefer yellow substrates.
Substantial variation in size, color, color pattern and habitat inspired biologists to describe five subspecies of ornate checkered beetles across their wide range, which extends from the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and from northern Mexico to Alaska. T. ornatus ornatusis the only subspecies in Colorado and New Mexico and it is also in northeastern Arizona.
Two subspecies are found in the Great Basin, and they are polymorphic for color. One color morph closely resembles T. ornatus ornatus, while the other has red bands and spots instead of yellow.
The red beetles are found only in the Great Basin, and percentages of yellow and red forms differ between populations. A casual inspection of the data reveals a robust pattern—red beetles become common in the driest and hottest sites, whereas yellow beetles are most common in relatively moist and cool sites. This pattern suggests that natural selection influences the relative abundance of the forms, producing a general pattern in a heterogeneous mosaic.
Research in natural populations usually tests hypotheses, produces new insights and invariably generates more refined questions. Is color variation from place to place driven by differences in predation, or mortality, or growth rate, or fecundity? If yellow checkered beetles prefer to attend yellow flowers, do red beetles prefer red flowers? Do color morphs influence patterns of mating, as they do in some birds and lizards?
Perhaps some students will conduct studies to help us better understand why the color morphs of ornate checkered beetles vary between hot and dry versus cool and wet environments.
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
Variable oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor)
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].
The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.
Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.
Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.
The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.
The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].
The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.
Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.
Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.
The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.
The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.
Variable oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor)
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
Es una especie muy polimorfa, que se extiende desde el Himalaya hasta Japón, Assam, centro norte de China, Himalaya occidental y oriental, Japón, Corea, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam, West Himalaya. los ejemplares representados aquí fueron recolectados en Yunna en 1998 por Allen Coombes como Quercus pentacycla (CMBS 516). En iturraran se encuentran en la zona 3.
t is a highly polymorphic species, ranging from the Himalayas to Japan, Assam, North-Central China, Western and Eastern Himalayas, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam, West Himalayas. the specimens represented here were collected in Yunna in 1998 by Allen Coombes as Quercus pentacycla (CMBS 516). In iturraran they are in area 3.
Photo copyright 2010 James Laurie.
Great Mormon swallowtails (Papilio memnon) are found
patrolling in forest clearings at about 2‐4 meters above the ground where they are very common. They can also be seen amongst human habitation. These large boldly patterned butterflies are fond of visiting flowers of Poinsettia, Jasminum, Lantana, Canna, Clerodendron, and Salvia. They fly up to 7000 feet in the Himalayas, but are most common at low elevations throughout southeast Asia. Larval host plants are members of Citrus and Fortunella, The female is polymorphic
and with most forms mimicking pipevine feeding swallowtails of the genera Atrophaneura and Pachliopta.
The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is a common
species widely distributed across Asia. Like the
Great Mormon females mimic inedible red‐bodied
swallowtails that feed on Aristolochia spp. The
common name is an allusion to the polygamy formerly
practiced by members of the Mormon sect according to Harish Gaonkar, of the Natural history Museum in London: “...the origins of giving common English names to organisms, particularly butterflies for tropical species, started in India around the mid 19th century ... The naming of Mormons evolved slowly. I think the first to get such a name was the Common Mormon (Papilio polytes), because it had three different females, a fact that could only have been observed in the field, and this
they did in India. The name obviously reflected the ... Mormon sect in America, which as we know,
practiced polygamy.” The species can be found as
far east as Pakistan and as far west as the Philippines
and the Northern Marianas. These butterflies prefer lightly wooded country, but are present everywhere. It is a regular visitor to gardens, being especially abundant in orchards of its hostplants citrus but also found on Murraya.
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
M. longiceps from Lupton Conservation Reserve. This larger worker (this species is strongly polymorphic) was also found at the base of a Eucalyptus wandoo tree. This species is relatively common and widespread on the Australian mainland.
Artist and extraordinary intellectual working in Paris during the rise of surrealism ; during WWII participated in the French Resistance. Photographer, critic, philosopher, proto-performance artist. Her work involved androgyny, polymorphic sexuality and the nature of self.
—Karl Davis
A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.
"Antichamber of the Private Apartments of the Elysée Palace for President Georges Pompidou", by Yaacov Agam, 1974.
Centre Pompidou, Paris, FR.
7.15.12
The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].
The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.
Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.
Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.
The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.
The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.
The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, (Zootoca vivipara, formerly Lacerta vivipara) is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other species of non-marine reptile, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it gives birth to live young (although they will sometimes lay eggs normally). Both "Zootoca" and "vivipara" mean "live birth", in (Latinized) Greek and Latin respectively. It was called Lacerta vivipara until the genus Lacerta was split into nine genera in 2007 by Arnold, Arribas & Carranza.
Male and female Zootoca vivipara are equally likely to contract blood parasites. Additionally, larger males have been shown to reproduce more times in a given reproductive season than smaller ones.
The lizard is also unique as it is exclusively carnivorous, eating only flies, spiders, and insects. Studies show that the more carnivorous an individual is (the more insects they eat), the less diverse the population of parasitic helminths that infest the lizards.
Zootoca vivipara lives in very cold climates, yet participates in normal thermoregulation instead of thermoconformity. They have the largest range of all terrestrial lizards which even include subarctic regions. It is able to survive these harsh climates as individuals will freeze in especially cold seasons and thaw two months later. They also live closer to geological phenomena that provide a warmer environment for them.
Description
Zootoca vivipara is a small lizard, with an average length between 50 and 70 mm (2.0–2.8 in) and an average mass of 2 to 5 g (0.071–0.176 oz). They exhibit no particular colour, but can be brown, red, grey, green, or black. The species exhibits some sexual dimorphisms. Female Z. vivipara undergo colour polymorphism more commonly than males. A female lizard's display differs in ventral colouration, ranging from pale yellow to bright orange and a mixed colouration. There have been many hypotheses for the genetic cause of this polymorphic colouration. These hypothesis test for colouration due to thermoregulation, predator avoidance, and social cues, specifically sexual reproduction. Through an experiment conducted by Vercken et al., colour polymorphism in viviparous lizard is caused by social cues, rather than the other hypotheses. More specifically, the ventral colouration that is seen in female lizards is associated with patterns of sexual reproduction and sex allocation.
The underside of the male is typically more colourful and bright, with yellow, orange, green, and blue, and the male typically has spots along its back. On the other hand, females typically have darker stripes down their backs and sides. Additionally, males have been found to have larger heads than their female counterparts, and this trait appears to be sexually selected for. Males with larger heads are more likely to be successful in mating and male-male interactions than smaller-headed Z. vivipara. Larger males also have been shown to reproduce more frequently during one mating season compared to smaller males. Characteristic behaviors of the species includes tongue flicking in the presence of a predator and female-female aggression that seems to be mediated by the colour of their side stripe.
Habitat and distribution
Z. vivipara is terrestrial, so they spend most of their time on the ground, though they do occasionally visit sites of higher elevation. The lizard thermoregulates by basking in the sun for much of the time. In colder weather, they have been known to hibernate to maintain proper body temperatures. They hibernate between October and March.[11] Their typical habitats include heathland, moorland, woodland and grassland.
The viviparous lizard is native to much of northern Eurasia. In Europe, it is mainly found north of the Alps and the Carpathians, including the British Isles but not Iceland, as well as in parts of northern Iberia and the Balkans; In Asia it is mostly found in Russia, excluding northern Siberia, and in northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Japan.[citation needed] Z. vivipara has the largest distribution of any species of lizard in the world.
Home range
The size of the home range of the lizard ranges from 539 m2 to 1692 m2, with males generally having larger home ranges. The size of an individual lizard's home range is also dependent on population density and the presence of prey.
Ecology
Diet
Unlike many other lizards, Z. vivipara is exclusively carnivorous. Their diet consists of flies, spiders, and various other insects, including hemipterans (such as cicadas), moth larvae, and mealworms. The species is a predator, so it actively hunts down all of its prey. One study found that when controlled for body size, females consumed more food than males. Feeding rates also increased with increased sunshine.
Predation
Birds are common predators of Z. vivipara. Male-biased predation of Z. vivipara by the great grey shrike (L. excubitor) has been studied, finding that adult males, over adult females and juveniles, were preferentially predated on. This bias may be due to increased activity of adult males during the reproductive season.
Predators of this species include birds of prey, crows, snakes, shrikes, hedgehogs, shrews, foxes, and domestic cats.
Diseases and parasites
Z. vivpara can be infested by helminths, a small parasitic worm. The species diversity of parasites is affected by the diet of the individual lizard and the number of parasites on a host is affected by the host's size. Results of a study shows that the more carnivorous an individual is, the less diverse its parasite population. Additionally, larger lizards had a greater number of parasites on them.
Z. vivipara is also infected by blood parasites. In a study investigating the prevalence of blood parasites in Z. vivipara and L. agilis, Z. vivipara was found to be parasitized with an incidence rate of 39.8%, while L. agilis was parasitized with an incidence rate of 22.3%. This same study shows that there was not a significant difference between the parasitization of male and female Z. vivipara.
Reproduction and life history
The viviparous lizard is named as such because it is viviparous. This refers to its ability to give birth to live young, although the lizards are also able to lay eggs. The origin of this characteristic is under debate. Some scientists argue that viviparity evolved from oviparity, or the laying of eggs, only once. Proponents of this theory also argue that if this is the case, it is possible, though rare, for species to transition back to oviparity. Research from Yann Surget-Groba suggests that there have in fact been multiple events of the evolution of viviparity from oviparity across different clades of the viviparous lizard. They also argue that a reversion to oviparity is not as rare as once believed, but has occurred 2 to 3 times in the history of the species.
The range of viviparous populations of Z. vivipara extends from France to Russia. Oviparous populations are only found in northern Spain and the southwest of France. Some research in the Italian alps has suggested that distinct populations of oviparous and viviparous Z. vivipara should be considered separate species. Cornetti et al. (2015) identified that viviparous and oviparous subpopulations in contact with each other in the Italian alps are reproductively isolated. Hybridization between viviparous and oviparous individuals of Z. vivipara leads to embryonic malformations in the laboratory. However, these crosses do produce a "hybridized" generation of offspring, with females retaining embryos for much longer in utero than oviparous females, with embryos surrounded by thin, translucent shells.
Fertilization
Z. vivipara juveniles reach sexual maturity during their second year of their life. A study that explored the presence of male sex cells in reproducing males found that for the two weeks following the end of hibernation, males are infertile, and therefore incapable of reproducing. The same study also found that larger males produce more sperm during the reproductive season and have fewer left over at the end of the reproductive season than their smaller counterparts. This suggests that the larger a male is, the more reproductive events they participate in.
Brood size
Research also suggests that in exclusively oviparous populations of Z. vivipara, altitude influences the number of clutches laid in a reproductive season as well as when reproduction begins. Generally, lizards living at higher altitudes have been found to begin reproduction later and lay fewer clutches (often 1) in a given reproductive season.
Life span
Z. vivipara typically lives for 5 to 6 years.
Mate searching behavior
Head size is a sexually dimorphic trait, with males having larger heads than females. The average head width and length of the males measured were found to be 5.6 and 10.5 mm (0.22 and 0.41 in), respectively. The average head width and length of the females measured were found to be 5.3 and 9.7 mm (0.21 and 0.38 in), respectively. During the first state of courtship in Z. vivipara, called "Capture", the male uses its mouth and jaw to capture the female and initiate copulation.[6] The results of this study demonstrated that males with larger head sizes (both length and width) were more successful in mating than those with smaller heads, suggesting that head size undergoes sexual selection.
Male-male interaction
Head size has also been shown to be a predictor of success in male-male interactions. The head is used as a weapon in male-male interactions, and a larger head is typically more effective, leading to greater success during male-male aggressive encounters. This aggression and interaction is centered around available mates, so males with smaller heads have significantly less access to females for reproduction.
Thermoregulation
This lizard has an exceptionally large range that includes subarctic geography. As a result, thermoregulation is necessary for the thermal homeostasis of the species. Typically, in temperature extremes, a species will adopt the behavioral strategy of thermoconformity, where they do not actively thermoregulate, but adapt to survive in the harsh temperature. This occurs because the cost of thermoregulating in such an extreme environment becomes too high and begins to outweigh the benefits. Despite this, Z. vivipara still employs the strategy of thermoregulation, like basking. Thermoregulation is important in Z. vivipara as it allows for proper locomotive performance, escape behavior, and other key behaviors for survival. The ability of Z. vivipara to thermoregulate in such harsh environments has been attributed to two primary reasons. The first is that Z. vivipara has remarkable behaviors to combat the cold, and there are geological phenomena in their distribution that maintains their habitats at a temperature that the species can survive in. One of the specific behaviors used to combat the extreme cold is a "supercooled" state. Z. vivipara remains in this state through the winter until temperatures dropped below −3 °C (27 °F). After that, individuals completely froze until they were thawed by warmer weather later in the year, often 2 months later. Despite very cold air in the subarctic habitats of these lizards, the soil-heating effects of unfrozen groundwater has been observed regulating the temperature of their soil habitats. They find warm microhabitats that do not drop below the freezing point of their body fluids. These lizards have exceptional hardiness to the cold, which allows them to hibernate in upper soil layers in temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F). This cold hardiness along with the favorable hydrogeological conditions of groundwater-warmed soil habitats allows for the wide distribution of lizards throughout the palearctic.
The colour polymorphism of female Z. vivipara has not been thoroughly studied in past years, regardless of the extensive research done on the species itself. Females exhibit three types of body colouration within a population: yellow, orange, and mixture of the two. These discrete traits are inherited maternally and exist throughout the individual's lifetime. The organism's colour morphs are determined by their genotype as well as their environment.
The frequency of multiple morphs occurring in a population varies with the level of population density and frequency-dependent environments. These factors cause the lizards to vary in terms of their fitness (clutch size, sex ratio, hatching success). In lower density populations, colour polymorphism is more prevalent. This is because viviparous lizards thrive in environments where intraspecific competition is low. Increased competition among individuals results in lower survival rates of lizards. Additionally, female lizards disperse through habitats based on the frequency of colour types that are already present in the population. Their reproductive abilities vary according to this frequency-dependent environment. The number of offspring that they produce correlates with the colour morph: yellow females produce the fewest offspring, while orange females produce more than yellow, but fewer than mixed females, which produce the most offspring. The amount of offspring produced varies in regards to colour frequencies in the population; for example, if yellow females have higher density within the population, the clutch size for orange lizards is usually lower.
Orange females are more sensitive to intraspecific and colour-specific competition. They have smaller clutch sizes when the density of the population is high, or when the number of yellow females in the population is high. This could be due to their need to conserve energy for survival and reproductive events.[9] Their colour morph remains in the population due to the trade-off between the size of offspring and the clutch size. Offspring born in smaller clutches are often larger and thus have a higher survival likelihood. Natural selection will favor individuals with larger size because of their advantage in physical competition with others. Yellow females have larger clutch sizes early in their life, but their hatch success decreases as the female ages. Their reproductive viability decreases, resulting in fewer offspring throughout their lifetime. Yellow morphs remain in the population due to their large clutch size, which causes an increased frequency of those females. Selection favors the yellow morph because of the ability to produce large clutch sizes, which increases the female's fitness. In mixed-coloured females, reproductive success is less sensitive to competition and frequency-dependent environments. Since these lizards show a mixture of yellow and orange colouration, they adopt benefits from both of the morphs. As a result, they can maintain high reproductive success and hatching success with large clutch sizes. Their colour morph remains in the population due to its high fitness, which selection will favor.
All three colours have evolutionary advantages in different ways. While yellow females have higher fitness due to their large clutch sizes, orange females enjoy high fitness due to their large body size and increased competitive advantages. Mixed females exhibit both of these advantages.