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The common name for numerous species of small to medium-sized lizards that comprise the family Chamaeleonidae (also Chamaeleontidae). Chameleons (see illustration) are members of the family Chamaeleonidae (also Chamaeleontidae) in the order Squamata…

An order of the class Reptilia, including the turtles, terrapins, and tortoises; also termed Testudines. The order Chelonia (often referred to as Testudines) comprises one of the oldest groups of reptiles on Earth. Members of the Chelonia…

A large, tawny brown wild cat, Puma concolor (family Felidae), once widespread over most of the Americas; also known as catamount, mountain lion, painter, and puma. The cougar (Puma concolor; see illustration) is a carnivorous member of the family…

An extremely diverse, species-rich group of arthropods that have inhabited marine environments since the beginning of the Cambrian Period. Crustacea is a notable taxon of invertebrates. Common members of the Crustacea, that is, crustaceans, are…

A class of the phylum Cnidaria, comprising the box jellyfish. Members of the Cubozoa are commonly known as box jellyfish or cubozoans. These cnidarian invertebrates are good swimmers, and their distribution is mostly tropical and subtropical. There…

One of the more highly specialized crustacean orders. Members of the order Decapoda, termed decapods, are prominent crustaceans (superorder Eucarida; class Malacostraca; subphylum Crustacea; phylum Arthropoda), including shrimps, crayfish, lobsters,…

The name for any four-legged, hoofed, grazing animal in the mammalian family Cervidae. Deer are ruminant, even-toed ungulates (hoofed mammals) belonging to the order Artiodactyla. As members of the family Cervidae, they also are known as cervids. In…

An order of nematodes in which the variable stoma may or may not be armed with a dorsal tooth that may or may not be opposed by subventral denticles. The variable amphids (anterior sensory receptors) range from reniform to elongate loops to simple…

An order of nematodes in which the taxa are readily recognized by their conspicuous body annulation. The annuli of members of the order Desmoscolecida may be covered with concretion rings, or the cuticle may be ornamented with scales, warts, or…

An order of sea urchins (class Echinoidea) possessing an aulodont Aristotle's lantern (jaw apparatus) with unkeeled teeth that are U-shaped in cross section, and with the apophyses not meeting at the top of the lantern. In Diadematoida, the…