Strepsirrhini is a suborder of primates that includes lemurs from
Madagascar, bushbabies and pottos from Africa, and lorises from India
and southeast Asia. Also included are the extinct adapiform primates, a
diverse and widespread group that thrived during the Eocene in Europe,
North America, and Asia, but disappeared from most of the Northern
Hemisphere as the climate cooled. Characterized by their wet nose or
rhinarium, strepsirrhines have diversified to fill many ecological
niches. They have a smaller brain than comparably sized simians, large
olfactory lobes for smell, and a vomeronasal organ to detect pheromones.
Their eyes contain a reflective layer to improve their night vision.
Lemurs have a toothcomb, a specialized set of teeth in the lower front
part of the mouth, mostly used for combing fur during grooming.
Strepsirrhines are primarily tree-dwelling, feeding on fruit, leaves,
and insects. Many are endangered by habitat destruction, poaching for
bushmeat, and live capture for the exotic pet trade.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strepsirrhini>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1860:
South Carolina became the first of eleven slave states to
secede from the United States, leading to the eventual creation of the
Confederate States of America and later the American Civil War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America>
1951:
Experimental Breeder Reactor I near Arco, Idaho, US, became the
world's first electricity-generating nuclear power plant when it
produced sufficient electricity to illuminate four 200-watt light bulbs.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Breeder_Reactor_I>
1971:
Two groups of French doctors involved in humanitarian aid
merged to form Doctors Without Borders.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9decins_Sans_Fronti%C3%A8res>
1988:
The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances governing international
cooperation against the illegal drug trade was signed in Vienna.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_Against_Illicit_Traffic_in_Narcotic_Drugs_and_Psychotropic_Substances>
1999:
Portugal transferred sovereignty of Macau, which it had
administered since the mid-16th century, to China.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
tettix:
A cicada, especially one in Greece.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tettix>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all
sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't
care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you
there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard
as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you
can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep
moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now, if you know what you're
worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing
to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you
wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that
ain't you. You're better than that!
--Rocky Balboa
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rocky_Balboa_(film)>