The Maine Coon is the largest domesticated cat breed. It has a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine, where it is the official state cat.
Solifugae is an order of animals in the class Arachnida known variously as camel spiders, wind scorpions, sun spiders, or solifuges. The order includes more than 1,000 described species in about 153 genera. Despite the common names, they are neither true scorpions nor true spiders. Much like a spider, the body of a solifugid has two tagmata: an opisthosoma (abdomen) behind the prosoma. At the front end, the prosoma bears two chelicerae that, in most species, are conspicuously large. The chelicerae serve as jaws and in many species also are used for stridulation. Unlike scorpions, solifugids do not have a third tagma that forms a "tail". Most species of Solifugae live in dry climates and feed opportunistically on ground-dwelling arthropods and other small animals. The largest species grow to a length of 12–15 cm (5–6 in), including legs. A number of urban legends exaggerate the size and speed of the Solifugae, and their potential danger to humans, which is negligible.
The sea mink is a recently extinct species of mink that lived on the eastern coast of North America in the family Mustelidae, the largest family in the order Carnivora. It was most closely related to the American mink, with debate about whether or not the sea mink should be considered a subspecies of the American mink or a species of its own. The main justification for a separate species designation is the size difference between the two minks, but other distinctions have been made, such as its redder fur. The only known remains are fragments unearthed in Native American shell middens. Its actual size is speculative, based largely on tooth-remains.
Penobscot Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean in south central Maine. The bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River, downriver from Belfast. Penobscot Bay has many working waterfronts including Rockland, Rockport, and Stonington, and Belfast upriver. Penobscot Bay is between Muscongus Bay and Blue Hill Bay, just west of Acadia National Park.
The katipo is an endangered species of spider native to New Zealand. It is one of many species in the genus Latrodectus, such as the Australian redback, and the North American black widows. The species is venomous to humans, capable of delivering a potentially dangerous bite. The name katipo is from the Māori katipō, meaning "night-stinger". It is a small to medium-sized spider, with the female having a round black or brown pea-sized body. Red katipo females, found in the South Island and the lower half of the North Island, are always black, and their abdomen has a distinctive red stripe bordered in white. In black katipo females, found in the upper half of the North Island, this stripe is absent, pale, yellow, or replaced with cream-coloured blotches. These two forms were previously thought to be separate species. The male is much smaller than the female and quite different in appearance: white with black stripes and red diamond-shaped markings. Katipo are mainly found living in sand dunes close to the seashore. They are found throughout most of coastal New Zealand except the far south and west. Katipo feed mainly on ground dwelling insects, caught in an irregular tangled web spun amongst dune plants or other debris,
The giant house spider, now with the scientific name Eratigena atrica, is one of the biggest spiders of Central and Northern Europe. It was previously placed in the genus Tegenaria, where in addition to Tegenaria atrica, it was also documented as Tegenaria duellica, Tegenaria gigantea and Tegenaria saeva, among others, all thought to be different species. It is now a member of the newly described genus Eratigena. The bite of this species does not pose a threat to humans or pets, and it is generally reluctant to bite, preferring to escape.
The Acroceridae are a small family of odd-looking flies. They have a hump-backed appearance with a strikingly small head, generally with a long proboscis for accessing nectar. They are rare and not widely known. The most frequently applied common names are small-headed flies or hunch-back flies. Many are bee or wasp mimics. Because they are parasitoids of spiders, they also are sometimes known as spider flies.
The wildlife of Maldives includes the flora and fauna of the islands, reefs, and the surrounding ocean.
The Labrador Husky is a specific purebred dog. It is commonly mistaken for a Husky-Lab mix but in fact, it is its own breed. The Labrador Husky was originally brought to what is currently known as Labrador, Canada, in the 1300s by the Inuit. Its main purpose was to help the Inuit people survive in a highly demanding environment. The Labrador Husky was trained to pull sleds that transported goods. Labrador Huskies are known to be large but gentle dogs. The breed can grow to be bigger than the more commonly known Siberian Husky weighing in at 60-100 pounds. The dogs were later adapted to serve as a family pets. Labrador Huskies are good with children when trained properly and require a committed owner to maintain their needs. Some of these needs include proper grooming which involves regular brushing of its thick double coat. This breed does tend to have some serious health problems, including hip dysplasia, but in general, Labrador Huskies live anywhere between 10 - 13 years.
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy arachnids belonging to the Theraphosidae family of spiders, of which about 900 species have been identified. This article only describes members of the Theraphosidae, although some other members of the same infraorder (Mygalomorphae) are commonly referred to as "tarantulas". Some species have become popular in the exotic pet trade. New World species kept as pets have urticating hairs that can cause irritation to the skin and, in extreme cases, cause damage to eyes.
Grindel Point Light is a lighthouse in Islesboro, Maine, marking the west entrance to Gilkey Harbor at the westernmost point of the eponymous island. The light station was established in 1850, and the present tower and keeper's house were built in 1874. The station was deactivated in 1934 and reactivated in 1987. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The keeper's house now houses the Grindle Point Sailor's Museum and the lighthouse tower is open for tours in the summer.
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs and chelicerae with fangs able to inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all orders of organisms. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except for Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every habitat with the exceptions of air and sea colonization. As of November 2015, at least 45,700 spider species, and 113 families have been recorded by taxonomists. However, there has been dissension within the scientific community as to how all these families should be classified, as evidenced by the over 20 different classifications that have been proposed since 1900.
The wildlife of the Falkland Islands is quite similar to that of Patagonia. The Falkland Islands have no native reptiles or amphibians, and the only native land mammal, the warrah, is now extinct. However, a large number of bird species have been seen around the islands, and many of them breed on the smaller islands of the archipelago. Insects play a large role in the ecosystem of the islands, and over 200 species have been recorded. The waters around the Falkland Islands sustain many animals, including a large number of marine mammals. Three pinniped species breed on the islands.
Cyrtophora exanthematica are tent spiders common in tropical Asia and Australia. They are commonly known as double-tailed tent spiders because of the pair of blunt projections at the end of their abdomens. They are harmless to humans.
The Pleistocene coyote, also known as the Ice Age coyote, is an extinct subspecies of coyote that lived in western North America during the Late Pleistocene era. Most remains of the subspecies were found in southern California, though at least one was discovered in Idaho. It was part of a carnivore guild that included other canids like foxes, gray wolves, and dire wolves.
The George S. Tiffany Cottage is a historic summer house on Aldrich Road in Islesboro, Maine. Built 1911-12 for a businessman from St. Louis, Missouri, it is a rare example in the state of the Prairie School of architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
Dark Harbor is a village located on the most southern end of the town of Islesboro in Waldo County, Maine. Altogether, Dark Harbor consumes one-quarter of the land in Islesboro. Many prominent families from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston took summer residency in Dark Harbor.
