User:Abyssal/Portal:Neogene

The Neogene Portal Introduction Selected article on the Neogene world and its legacies Fossil Urasterella. Starfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. About 1,500 living species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from the tropics to subzero polar waters. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, 6,000 m (20,000 ft) below the surface. Starfishes typically have a central disc and five arms, though some species have more than this. The aboral or upper surface may be smooth, granular or spiny, and is covered with overlapping plates. Starfish have tube feet operated by a hydraulic system and a mouth at the centre of the oral or lower surface. They are opportunistic feeders and are mostly predators on benthicinvertebrates. Several species having specialized feeding behaviours including eversion of their stomachs and suspension feeding. They have complex life cycles and can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Most can regenerate damaged parts or lost arms and they can shed arms as a means of defence. The Asteroidea occupy several significant ecological roles. The fossil record for starfish is ancient, dating back to the Ordovician around 450 million years ago, but it is rather poor, as starfish tend to disintegrate after death. Only the ossicles and spines of the animal are likely to be preserved, making remains hard to locate. (see more...) Did you know? Life restoration of Australodelphis. ... that the extinct Pliocene dolphin Australodelphis from the Vestfold Hills of Antarctica has been described as an example of convergent evolution with whales? ... that, being a descendant of Pliohippus, Astrohippus is not considered to be an ancestor to modern horses? ... that the oldest association between Trypanosoma, which causes Chagas disease, and its vector, the assassin bug Triatoma, is found in Triatoma dominicana and Trypanosoma antiquus? ... that the extinct Neocorynura electra, found in Dominican amber, is the only known species of Neocorynura "sweat bee" from the Greater Antilles? ... that the extinct Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Kenya was the largest true crocodile and may have eaten early human ancestors? Need help? Do you have a question about Abyssal/Portal:Neogene that you can't find the answer to? Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk. Selected image The painting Laelaps by Charles R. Knight depicts two Dryptosaurus fighting. Photo credit: User:Sergiodlarosa Selected article on the Neogene in human science, culture and economics Photograph of Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy, publishing his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen. Cope later married and moved from Philadelphia to Haddonfield, New Jersey, although Cope would maintain a residence and museum in Philadelphia in his later years. Cope had little formal scientific training, and he eschewed a teaching position for field work. He made regular trips to the American West prospecting in the 1870s and 1880s, often as a member of United States Geological Survey teams. A personal feud between Cope and paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh led to a period of intense fossil-finding competition now known as the Bone Wars. Cope's financial fortunes soured after failed mining ventures in the 1880s. He experienced a resurgence in his career toward the end of his life before dying in 1897. Cope's scientific pursuits nearly bankrupted him, but his contributions helped to define the field of American paleontology. He was a prodigious writer, with 1,400 papers published over his lifetime, although his rivals would debate the accuracy of his rapidly published works. He discovered, described, and named more than 1,000 vertebrate species including hundreds of fishes and dozens of dinosaurs. His proposals on the origin of mammalian molars and for the gradual enlargement of mammalian species over geologic time ("Cope's Law") are notable among his theoretical contributions. (see more...) Topics Geochronology - Neogene (Miocene - Pliocene) Neogene landmasses - Major Neogene events - Neogene biota appearances - Fossil sites - Stratigraphic units - History - History of paleontology - Timeline of paleontology Researchers - Culture - Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology - Vertebrate Paleontology Subcategories Neogene Neogene by continent Neogene geochronology Neogene events Neogene geology Neogene life Neogene paleogeography Neogene stubs Quality Content Featured Neogene articles - None yet Good Neogene articles - Nonet yet Things you can do Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Stubs : Neogene stubs WikiProjects Earth science Geology Paleontology Related content Time Earth sciences Paleontology Extinct and Endangered Species Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic Paleogene Quaternary Associated Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikinews Free-content news Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikiversity Free learning tools Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus ¤ Category:Cenozoic portals Category:Geologic time portals