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Horns are projections from the top of the head. True horns are found mainly among: Ruminant artiodactyls. Antilocapridae (); Bovidae (cattle, goats, antelopes etc.).; Giraffidae: Giraffids have a pair of skin covered bony bumps on their heads, called ossicones.
The body is kite-shaped with a long, thorny tail. The back is covered in numerous thorny spines, as is the underside in older females. [2] [4] Adult fish can grow to 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length, although most are less than 85 centimetres (33 in). This ray can weigh from 4.5 to 8.75 lb (2 to 4 kg). [5]
Its roots derive from the Latin words porcus or pig and spina meaning thorns. [8] Other colloquial names for the animal include quill pig. It is also referred to as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine. [9] The porcupine's scientific name, Erethizon dorsatum, can be loosely translated
Quills grow in varying lengths and colours, depending on the animal's age and species. Porcupines' quills, or spines, take on various forms, depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin, [16] and embedded in the skin musculature. Old World porcupines have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New ...
To avoid being picked up by the head or neck, a horned lizard ducks or elevates its head and orients its cranial horns straight up, or back. If a predator tries to take it by the body, the lizard drives that side of its body down into the ground so the predator cannot easily get its lower jaw underneath. [citation needed]
The thorny devil (Moloch horridus), also known commonly as the mountain devil, thorny lizard, thorny dragon, and moloch, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia. It is the sole species in the genus Moloch. It grows up to 21 cm (8.3 in) in total length (including tail), with females generally larger ...
Gasteracantha cancriformis [2] (spinybacked orbweaver) is a species of orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae). It is widely distributed in the New World. [1]The genus name Gasteracantha derives from the Greek words γαστήρ (gaster, "belly") and ἄκανθα (acantha, "thorn"), while the specific epithet cancriformis derives from the Latin words cancer ("crab") and forma ("shape, form ...
Gasteracantha has a complex taxonomic history, and many questions of species limits and distribution and generic interrelationships remain unanswered. Furthermore, challenges include the variability within individual Gasteracantha species (e.g., color polymorphism and variable length and shape of spines), a lack of male specimens and descriptions for many species, missing or damaged type ...