Ducks. Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots. Etymology The word duck comes from Old English *dūce "diver", a derivative of the verb *dūcan "to duck, bend down low as if to get under something, or dive", because of the way many species in the dabbling duck group feed by upending; compare with Dutch duiken and German tauchen "to dive". This word replaced Old English ened/ænid "duck", possibly to avoid confusion with other Old English words, like ende "end" with similar forms. Other Germanic languages still have similar words for "duck", for example, Dutch eend "duck" and German Ente "duck". The word ened/ænid was inherited from Proto-Indo-European; compare: Latin anas "duck", Lithuanian ántis "duck", Ancient Greek nēssa/nētta (νῆσσα, νῆττα) "duck", and Sanskrit ātí "water bird", among others.
A male duck is called a drake and the female duck is called a duck, or in ornithology a hen. Cayuga. Indian Runner. Fawn and White Duck. All Runners were originally bred in Southeast Asia for high egg production and excellent mobility. There is evidence of their ancient ancestry from stone carvings in Java that are over 2000 years old. These ducks are still being used as they were then. Flocks of ducks are herded daily from field to field eating waste rice, weed seeds, insects, slugs and other bugs.
They are then put in a bamboo pen at night where they lay their eggs and are released the following morning to clean other fields. During the course of their lives the ducks may cover hundreds of miles in their travels. As they are light in weight, there is also less chance of them trampling the vegetation in your garden or yard. Why are they called Indian Runners? The first Runners imported into England were either Fawn, Fawn-and-White, or White in color. To purchase hatching eggs for this breed, go to our Hatching Egg Page. Tortoise. Tortoises (/ˈtɔːr.təs.ɪz/, Testudinidae) are a family of land-dwelling reptiles in the order Testudines.
Like turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise endoskeleton has the adaptation of having an external shell fused to the ribcage. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimeters to two meters. They are usually diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals. Use of the term "tortoise"[edit] Although the word "tortoise" is used by biologists in reference to the family Testudinidae only, in colloquial usage, it is often used to describe many land-dwelling Testudines. Biology[edit] Birth[edit] Adult male tortoise, South Africa Young African Sulcata tortoise Lifespan[edit] Adult tortoise Sexual dimorphism[edit] General information[edit] Diet[edit] Taxonomy[edit] African Sulcata. The African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata), also called the sulcata tortoise, is a species of tortoise which inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert, in northern Africa.
It is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world and the largest species of mainland tortoise not found on an island. Young G. sulcata Taxonomy and etymology[edit] Its generic name is a combination of two Greek words: geo (γαῖα) meaning "earth" or "land" and chelone (χελώνη) meaning " tortoise". Its specific name sulcata is from the Latin word sulcus meaning "furrow" and refers to the furrows on the tortoise's scales.
Range and habitat[edit] Size and lifespan[edit] G. sulcata is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world after the Galapagos tortoise, and Aldabra giant tortoise, and the largest of the mainland tortoises.[4] Adults are usually 24 to 36 in long (60–90 cm) and can weigh 100-200 lb (45 – 91 kg). Diet[edit] Sulcata tortoises are herbivores.
As pets[edit] Breeding[edit] Copulation. Diet. Why Diet Matters Sulcata tortoises evolved to deal with life in a semi-arid environment, where the only food available for much of the year is dry grasses and weeds. Be aware that your sulcata tortoise requires a very high-fiber, grass-based diet to stay healthy. If you feed the wrong foods to your tortoise, it will grow too quickly, develop a bumpy, pyramided shell, and may develop other health problems that could drastically shorten its lifespan. The Five Most Common Dietary Problems There are five common dietary problems that new owners of sulcata tortoises typically encounter when feeding their tortoises: Not providing enough fiber Providing too much protein Giving fruit and sugary foods Not providing enough calcium and/or the right calcium-phosphorus balance Generally overfeeding the tortoise Avoiding These Problems You are responsible for the health and well-being of your tortoise, so you must make the effort to feed the right foods, and in the right quantities. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 3. 4.
Specialty Food. Housing. Gimme Shelter Your sulcata tortoise needs a shelter that will keep it safe, secure from predators, and either warmer or cooler than the surrounding air temperature as necessary. In the wild, sulcata tortoises dig extensive burrows underneath the ground, and they will retreat to these burrows at night or when the weather is too hot, too cool, or too dry. Burrows also protect the tortoises from predators of all kinds, including man. Most of us don't have the room to allow our pet tortoise(s) to dig a 30-foot burrow, so we need to provide a substitute form of shelter for our pet(s).
Indoor Enclosures: Tortoise Tables If your sulcata tortoise is under five years in age and/or weighs less than 15 pounds, we recommend that you build an indoor enclosure called a Tortoise Table to provide your tortoise with nighttime accomodations. With a Tortoise Table, you will have to take the tortoise outdoors each morning, and bring it back indoors at night. Outdoor Housing: Tortoise Sheds. Raising. The African Sulcata Tortoise got there name from the Latin word Sulcus which means "furrow". Furrow describes the black lines on the scutes (the scales on the shell) of the tortoise. Sulcatas are native to the Sahara Desert. Sulcatas are known for their sandy-ivory or golden yellow-brown skin and two or more very large and prominent tubercles (or spurs) on the rear legs.
The carapace (top shell) is tan to yellow in color in the center of each scute (the external plate or scale of the shell). Each scute is outlined by brown growth rings. The skin of African Sulcata Tortoises is very thick and the legs are covered in dull, spiney projections. The Sulcata is surpassed in size only by the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands and Seychelles. The average Sulcata grows to be 36 inches and can weigh as much as 150 pounds at its largest maturation. Tortoises in the... Buy This at Allposters.com. Sulcata's For Purchase.