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Bats |
| Bats, while some species can be larger, bats are usually not much
bigger than a house mouse. The wingspan of the two most common Canadian
species, the little brown bat and the big brown bat, ranges from
8 to 14 inches. Bats will mate in fall or winter and the pups are
usually weaned in July or August. A few bat species will migrate
to the south when cold weather approaches while other species will
just move to trees, caves, mines and attics where the temperature
does not go below the freezing point. In some cases, the big brown
bat will even roost in buildings throughout the winter if conditions
are favorable, e.g. high humidity level and temperature above the
freezing point. Bats are loyal to their birthplaces, often returning
to the same roost site year after year. A bat can live up to 30
years. There are more than 1100 different species in the world 46
species here in North America alone. And they account for about
1/4th of the world's mammal population. |
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Bed bugs |
| Bed bugs were once a common public health pest worldwide, which
declined in incidence through the mid 20th century. Recently however,
bed bugs have undergone a dramatic resurgence and worldwide there
are reports of increasing numbers of infestations. Bed bugs are
one of the great travelers of the world and are readily transported
via luggage, clothing, bedding and furniture. As such, they have
a worldwide distribution. |
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Birds |
| Birds are bipedal, warm blooded, oviparous veretbrate animals
characterized primarily by feathers, forelimbs, modified as wings
and in most hollow bones. Birds feed on nectar, plants, seeds, insects,
fish, mammals, carrion, or other birds. Most birds are diurnal and
many of them migrate a long distances to utilize optimum habitats. |
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Bees
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| Bees (Apoidea superfamily) are flying insects, closely related
to wasps and ants. They are adapted for feeding on nectar, and play
an important role in pollinating flowering plants, and are called
pollinators. Bees have a long proboscis that they use in order to
obtain the nectar from flowers. Bees have antennae made up of thirteen
segments in males and twelve in females. They have two pairs of
wings, the back pair being the smaller of the two. |
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Carpenter Ants
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| Carpenter ants are large, black ants (1/4" -
1") indigenous to large parts of North America. They also appear
in northeast China. They prefer dead, damp wood to build nests in. |
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Crickets
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| Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as 'true crickets'),
are insects related to grasshoppers and katydids (order Orthoptera).
They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. Crickets
are known for the loud chirping noises they make by rubbing their
wings over each other. Only male crickets sing as the male wings
have ridges that act like a "comb and file" that produces
a song that is species specific |
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Centipedes
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| Centipedes (Class Chilopoda) are fast-moving venomous,
predatory terrestrial arthropods that have long bodies and many
jointed legs. Chiefly nocturnal, centipedes are found primarily
in tropical climates. Like the closely related millipedes, they
are highly segmented (15 to 173 segments), with one pair of walking
legs per segment. Centipedes are dorso-ventrally flattened, and
are among the fastest and most agile of arthropod predators. |
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Fleas
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| Flea is the common name for any of the small wingless
insects of the order Siphonaptera. Fleas are external parasites,
living off the blood of mammals and birds. |
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Flies
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| Name commonly used for any of a variety of winged
insects, but properly restricted to members of the order Diptera,
the true flies, which includes the housefly, gnat, midge, mosquito,
and tsetse fly. All have sucking or piercing-and-sucking mouthparts
and, except for a few wingless species, bear one pair of wings.
The hind wings are reduced to knobbed balancing organs called halteres.
All flies undergo complete metamorphosis, i.e., a four-stage development.
The larvae, which occupy a wide variety of ecological niches, typically
require a moist environment such as rotting flesh, decaying fruit,
or the internal organs of other animals (see blowfly; botfly; fruit
fly; tachinid fly). Adults often feed on nectar and plant sap, but
some, such as the female horsefly and female mosquito, feed on blood;
the adults of some species do not feed at all. A few species are
found worldwide, often dispersed by humans; more than 16,000 species
are found in North America. Many flies are harmful either as carriers
of disease or as destroyers of crops. Some parasitize harmful insects.
Some, such as the fruit fly, are important in laboratory studies.
Flies are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order
Diptera. |
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Gnats
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| The name gnat is applied to small insects in the
order Diptera (the true Flies) and specifically within the suborder
Nematocera. This suborder represents the more primitive members
of the Dipteran order but still contains several very notable and
important families such as the Chironomidae (non-biting midges)
and the Culicidae (mosquitoes). |
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Groundhog
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| The Groundhog (Marmota monax), also called a Woodchuck
or Whistle Pig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to
the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Most marmots
live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the Woodchuck is a creature
of the lowlands. It is widely distributed in North America, from
Alaska to Alabama and Georgia. In the western United States it is
found only in Alaska and northern Washington |
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Mice |
| Droppings, fresh gnaw marks, and tracks indicate
areas where mice are active. Mouse nests are made from fine shredded
paper or other fibrous material, usually in sheltered locations.
House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their
presence. Mice are active mostly at night, but they can be seen
occasionally during daylight hours. |
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Millipedes
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| Millipedes (Class Diplopoda, previously also known
as Chilognatha) are very elongated arthropods with cylindrical bodies
that have two pairs of legs for each one of their 20 to 100 or more
body segments. These animals are herbivorous, slow and non - venomous;
unlike the somewhat similar and closely related centipedes (Class
Chilopoda), which can be easily distinguished by their single pair
of legs for each body segment. |
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Opossums
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| Light gray in color, opossums have five toes on each
foot and a tail with no fur ... Opossums like to eat garbage, fruit,
vegetables, green plants, insects. |
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Pavement ants
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| The pavement ant is a small, brown to black ant with
pale legs and a black abdomen. Pavement ants feed on a variety of
materials, including live and dead insects, honeydew from aphids,
meats, grease, etc. They often enter houses looking for food. They
may become numerous in a short period of time in a kitchen or outside
on a patio. |
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Racoons
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| Nocturnal new world mammal of the genus Procyon.
The common raccoon of North America, Procyon lotor, also called
coon, is found from S Canada to South America, except in parts of
the Rocky Mts. and in deserts. It has a stocky, heavily furred body,
a pointed face, hand like forepaws, and a bushy tail. It is 11/2
to 21/2 ft (46–76 cm) long, excluding the 8 to 12 in. (20–30
cm) tail, with mixed gray, brown, and black hair, a black facemask,
and black rings on the tail. It lives mostly in wooded areas and
usually feeds along lakes and streams |
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Rats
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| A rat is a small nearly omnivorous rodent of the
genus Rattus which comprises 56 different species of what is commonly
known as the Old World Rats or true rats who originated in Asia.
Rats are bigger than their relatives the mice, but seldom weigh
over 500 grams. |
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Roaches
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| Any of numerous oval, flat-bodied insects of the
family Blattidae, including several species that are common household
pests. |
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Skunks
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| Skunk, name for several related New World mammals
of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and
white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense.
The scent glands of skunks produce an oily, yellowish liquid, which
the animal squirts with great force from vents under the tail; this
produces a fine mist which, in addition to stinking, causes choking
and tearing of the eyes. Skunks do not make use of this weapon unless
severely provoked and then only after raising the tail in a warning
display. |
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Silverfish
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| Common name for primitive, wingless insects of the
family Lepismatidae. The silverfish, which has two long antennae
and three long tail bristles, is named for its covering of tiny,
silvery scales. It develops directly in six or more molts into an
adult about 1/2 in. (1.27 cm) long. It has chewing mouthparts set
in a head cavity and eats starch from bookbindings, wallpaper, and
clothing. The silverfish is common indoors in cool, damp places
such as basements. The firebrat, in the same taxonomic family, is
found in warm places, e.g., near steampipes and boilers. Silverfish
are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Thysanura,
family Lepismatidae. |
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Slugs
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| Name for a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in which
the characteristic molluscan shell is reduced to a thin plate embedded
in the tissues. Like the terrestrial snails of the same order, slugs
have a distinct head with a mouth, tentacles bearing eyes, and a
lung for breathing air. They move on a muscular foot over a trail
of slime, which they secrete. Certain species, such as Limax maximus,
have become serious pests in gardens and truck farms, particularly
in the W United States. Gliding out to feed at night, they devour
both the roots and aerial portions of plants with their rasp like
radula. Terrestrial slugs are classified in the phylum Mollusca,
class Gastropoda, order Stylommatophora |
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Snails
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| The name snail applies to most members of the molluscan
class Gastropoda that have coiled shells. Other gastropods, which
lack a conspicuous shell, are commonly called slugs, and are scattered
throughout groups that primarily include snails. Snails are found
in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments. While most
people are familiar with only terrestrial snails, the majority of
snails are not terrestrial. |
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Snakes |
| Snakes are cylindrical in shape and do no have legs.
They are cold blooded. Also they do not have eyelids or external
ear openings. They are protected by a layer of scales. Each species
of snake has a unique number of scales arranged and colored in a
pattern on their bodies which help to identify them. Because snakes
grow throughout their lives, they must replace the outer layer of
scales (skin), which does not grow, this process is known as shedding,
a process which can take up to a week to complete. During the shedding
process the snake is temporally blind. To shed its skin a snake
will rub its head against a rock, tree or some rough object to loosen
it's old skin and will slowly crawl forward, turning the old skin
inside out. |
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Spiders
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| Organism, mostly terrestrial, of the class Arachnida,
order Araneae, with four pairs of legs and a two-part body consisting
of a cephalothorax, or prosoma, and an unsegmented abdomen, or opisthosoma.
The cephalothorax is covered by a shield, or carapace, and bears
eight simple eyes. On the underside of the head (the cephalic part
of the cephalothorax) are two pairs of appendages, the anterior
pair called chelicerae and the second pair pedipalps, with which
the spider captures and paralyzes its prey, injecting into it venom
produced in the poison glands. The spider then liquefies the tissues
of the prey with a digestive fluid and sucks this broth into its
stomach where it may be stored in a digestive gland. Breathing is
by means of tracheae (air tubes) or book lungs, or both. |
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Squirrels
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| Name for small or medium-sized rodents of the family
Sciuridae, found throughout the world except in Australia, Madagascar,
and the Polar Regions; it is applied especially to the tree-living
species. Tree squirrels range from the size of a mouse to the size
of a house cat and vary greatly in color; some Asian tree squirrels
are brilliantly patterned. In addition to the tree squirrels, the
family includes the ground squirrel, chipmunk, marmot, woodchuck,
prairie dog, and flying squirrel. |
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Termites
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| Termites or white ant, common name for a soft-bodied
social insect of the order Isoptera. Termites are easily distinguished
from ants by comparison of the base of the abdomen, which is broadly
joined to the thorax in termites; in ants, there is only a slender
connection (petiole) joining these segments. In addition, the antennae
of termites are beadlike or threadlike, while ant antennae are elbowed.
Termites have chewing mouthparts. They feed chiefly on wood, from
which they obtain cellulose. In primitive species cellulose is converted
into various sugars by specialized gut protozoans and in the more
highly evolved termites by specialized bacteria living symbiotically
in the termite's digestive tract. Termites undergo gradual metamorphosis
(see insect). The nearly 2,000 species are mostly tropical, and
some build huge mounds to house their colonies. These mounds, up
to 40 ft (12.2 m) high, are a characteristic feature of the landscape
in parts of Africa and Australia. |
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Ticks
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| Ticks is the common name for the small wingless arachnids
that, along with mites, comprise the order Acarina. Ticks are external
parasites, living off the blood of mammals, birds, and occasionally
reptiles and amphibians |
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Wasps |
| Wasp, common name applied to most species of hymenopteran
insects, except bees and ants. Insects known as wasps include the
sawflies, the parasitic wasps, and the stinging wasps, which are
the best known. About 75,000 species of wasps are known, most of
them parasitic. |
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| Woodchucks |
| Woodchucks are a common farm and garden pest. Their
love for home-grown vegetables is well known - to the chagrin of
those hoping to harvest what they have worked so hard to produce.
Woodchucks are fairly large animals and are related to the squirrel
family. Their diet is generally herbaceous. They will eat quite
a variety of foods such as lettuce, spinach, green beans, peas,
squash, zucchini and cucumbers. They are known to eat berries as
well. |
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