• Giani, Felice (Italian artist)

    Neoclassical art: Italy: One such was Felice Giani, whose many decorations include Napoleonic palaces there and elsewhere in Italy (especially Faenza) and in France.

  • Gianni Schicchi (opera by Puccini)

    Gianni Schicchi, comic opera in one act by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini that premiered at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918. The composer’s only comic opera, it contains the well-known soprano aria “O mio babbino caro” (“Oh My Dear Father”). (The opera’s title is

  • Gianni Versace SpA (Italian company)

    Donatella Versace: Designer and death of Gianni Versace: When Gianni Versace SpA was founded in Milan in 1978, Donatella assumed the role of vice president. From 1978 to 1997, Donatella acted largely as a creative hand and critic for her brother, Gianni, though she did maintain control of her own lines, specifically Young Versace…

  • Gianni, Lapo (Italian author)

    Italian literature: The new style: …together with the lesser poets Lapo Gianni, Gianni Alfani, and Dino Frescobaldi.

  • Giannini, A.P. (American financier)

    A.P. Giannini was an American banker, founder of the California-based Bank of Italy—later the Bank of America—which, by the 1930s, was the world’s largest commercial bank. He was a major pioneer of branch banking. The son of Italian immigrants, Giannini left school at age 13 to work full-time in

  • Giannini, Amadeo Peter (American financier)

    A.P. Giannini was an American banker, founder of the California-based Bank of Italy—later the Bank of America—which, by the 1930s, was the world’s largest commercial bank. He was a major pioneer of branch banking. The son of Italian immigrants, Giannini left school at age 13 to work full-time in

  • Giannini, Frida (Italian fashion designer)

    Frida Giannini is an Italian fashion designer who was the creative director of the world-renowned Gucci fashion house from 2006 to 2015. After studying at Rome’s Academy of Costume and Fashion (Accademia di Costume e di Moda) and holding an apprenticeship at a small fashion house, Giannini went to

  • Giannino (pretender to French throne)

    John I: In 1358 a man called Giannino, in Florence, persuaded Clémence’s nephew, Louis I of Hungary, that he was John I; but otherwise he met with little success and died in jail in Naples (1363).

  • Giannone, Pietro (Italian historian and jurist)

    Pietro Giannone was an Italian historian whose works opposed papal interference in Naples. Giannone graduated in law (Naples, 1698), became interested in the “New Learning,” and wrote the Istoria civile del regno di Napoli (1723; The Civil History of the Kingdom of Naples)—a polemical survey of

  • Giano della Bella (Italian leader)

    Giano della Bella was a wealthy and aristocratic Florentine citizen who was the leader of a “popular” movement in the 1290s and is known as the promulgator of the Ordinances of Justice (January 1293), the basis of the constitution of Florence. A member of the powerful Calimala guild of merchants

  • Gianotti, Fabiola (Italian physicist)

    Fabiola Gianotti is an Italian experimental particle physicist and the director-general (2016– ) at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), one of the world’s largest and most respected centers for scientific research. Gianotti is the first woman selected for the role, as well as the

  • Gianotti, Pio (Brazilian monk)

    Frei Damião was an Italian-born Brazilian Roman Catholic monk. He became a Capuchin friar at age 16 and later studied in Rome. In 1931 he was sent to Brazil, where he spent the rest of his life traveling in the poverty-stricken northeastern region. Soon after he arrived he developed a reputation as

  • giant (mythology)

    giant, in folklore, huge mythical being, usually humanlike in form. The term derives (through Latin) from the Giants (Gigantes) of Greek mythology, who were monstrous, savage creatures often depicted with men’s bodies terminating in serpentine legs. According to the Greek poet Hesiod, they were

  • Giant (musical composition by Mahler)

    Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, symphony by Gustav Mahler. Premiering on October 18, 1904, in Cologne, the work’s ultimately optimistic colors may have been influenced by the composer’s marriage in 1902 to artistically gifted Alma Schindler; many music historians have interpreted the instrumental

  • Giant (film by Stevens [1956])

    Giant, American film saga, released in 1956, that tracks the lives of the family members of a ranching empire in Texas. It was James Dean’s last movie; he died in a car accident shortly after filming was completed. Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, Giant follows “Bick” Benedict (played by Rock

  • Giant African land snail (gastropod)

    conservation: Pacific island birds: an African land snail, Achatina fulica, for food. It became a pest. So, like the song about the old woman who swallowed a fly, and then a spider to catch it, and so forth, a predatory snail, Euglandina rosea, was released to control the Achatina. The predatory snail preferred…

  • giant African millipede (arthropod)

    millipede: The giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas), which is native to subtropical Africa, is the largest extant species, achieving lengths up to 280 mm (11 inches). The extinct invertebrate Arthropleura, a relative of centipedes and millipedes, lived during the Carboniferous Period (359.2 million to 299 million years…

  • giant anaconda (snake)

    green anaconda, common name for what are generally considered to be two species of nonvenomous semiaquatic boa (family Boidae) native to South America. Green anacondas are known for their immense size, some recorded specimens measuring as long as 9 meters (30 feet) and weighing more than 250 kg

  • giant anteater (mammal)

    anteater: The giant anteater: The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), sometimes called the ant bear, is the largest member of the anteater family and is best known in the tropical grasslands (Llanos) of Venezuela, where it is still common. It was once found in the lowland forests of…

  • giant arborvitae (plant)

    Western red cedar, (Thuja plicata), an ornamental and timber evergreenconifer of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), native to the Pacific coast of North America. Western red cedar trees and shrubs are pyramidal in form. The trees may grow up to 60 metres (about 200 feet) tall and 6 metres in

  • giant armadillo (mammal)

    armadillo: Natural history: In contrast, the endangered giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) can be 1.5 metres (5 feet) long and weigh 30 kg (66 pounds). It lives in the Amazon basin and adjacent grasslands.

  • giant axon (anatomy)

    cephalopod: Form and function: …from the study of these giant axons. The sense organs of the cephalopods are eyes, rhinophores (olfactory organs), statocysts (organs of equilibrium), and tactile organs. In Nautilus the eyes are open pits without lenses. In the Coleoidea the eyes are complex and approach those of some lower vertebrates in efficiency.

  • giant baby tears (plant)

    Pilea: Giant baby tears, or depressed clearweed (P. depressa), of similar habit, has small, smooth green leaves.

  • giant bellflower (plant)

    Campanulaceae: magnifica), the giant bellflower, which is a fleshy-rooted perennial with whorled leaves and clusters of three or four long-stalked, pale-lilac bells, 10 to 12 cm wide, topping plants, 1 12 to 2 12 metres tall. It is native in Central Asia. Symphyandra, ring bellflower, named for its…

  • giant bird-of-paradise (plant)

    bird-of-paradise flower: Other species: White bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia alba) and giant bird-of-paradise (S. nicolai) both feature white- to cream-coloured flowers and are sometimes cultivated.

  • giant bottlenosed whale (mammal genus)

    bottlenose whale: minimus) are commonly called giant bottlenose whales. (A genetic study of the gray and black forms of Baird’s beaked whale performed in 2016 revealed that the darker form was distinct enough from the gray form to be considered a unique species.) The two named species are the largest beaked…

  • giant burrowing cockroach (insect)

    cockroach: Family Blaberidae: The giant burrowing cockroach, or rhinocerous cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros), of Australia is one of the heaviest cockroach species and weighs about 30 grams (1 ounce).

  • giant cactus (plant)

    saguaro, (Carnegiea gigantea), large cactus species (family Cactaceae), native to Mexico and to Arizona and California in the United States. The fruits are an important food of American Indians, who also use the woody saguaro skeletons. Ecologically, the plants provide protective nesting sites for

  • giant Canada goose (bird)

    Canada goose: …in mature males of the giant Canada goose (B. canadensis maxima). The latter has a wingspread of up to 2 metres (6.6 feet), second in size only to that of the trumpeter swan among common waterfowl. Once a symbol of the North American wilderness, Canada geese are now common pests…

  • giant cane (plant, Arundinaria species)

    Arundinaria: Giant cane, also known as river cane and canebrake bamboo (Arundinaria gigantea), was once widely utilized as a forage plant in the southeastern United States, from eastern Texas and Oklahoma to the Atlantic coast and north to the Ohio River valley. It produces green leaves…

  • giant cane (plant)

    giant reed, (Arundo donax), tall perennial grass of the family Poaceae. Giant reed is found in wetlands and riparian habitats and is thought to be native to eastern Asia; the plant has been widely introduced to southeastern North America, the Caribbean, and parts of the Mediterranean. The woody

  • giant cell (pathology)

    giant cell, large cell characterized by an arc of nuclei toward the outer membrane. The cell is formed by the fusion of epithelioid cells, which are derived from immune cells called macrophages. Once fused, these cells share the same cytoplasm, and their nuclei become arranged in an arc near the

  • giant centipede (arthropod)

    centipede: …contains the largest centipedes, with Scolopendra gigantea of the American tropics reaching a length of 280 mm (11 inches). These forms are capable of inflicting severe bites. Scolopendrids, as well as the geophilids, have relatively slow and sinuous movements.

  • giant clam (mollusk)

    bivalve: Food and feeding: …the shipworms (family Teredinidae) and giant clams (family Tridacnidae). Shipworms are wood borers and are both protected and nourished by the wood they inhabit. They possess ctenidia and are capable of filtering food from the sea. When elongating the burrow, they digest the wood as well. In the Tridacnidae, symbiotic…

  • giant cloud rat (rodent)

    cloud rat: Giant cloud rats belong to the genus Phloeomys (two species), whereas bushy-tailed cloud rats are classified in the genus Crateromys (four species).

  • giant condensation nucleus (meteorology)

    condensation nucleus: , sea salt) are called giant condensation nuclei.

  • giant crab (crustacean)

    giant crab, (Macrocheira kaempferi), species of spider crab (q.v.) native to Pacific waters near Japan. It occurs at depths of 50 to 300 m (150 to 1,000 feet). The largest specimens may be up to 3.7 m or more from the tip of one outstretched claw to another. The body is about 37 cm (15 inches)

  • giant danio (fish)

    danio: …and yellow stripes, and the giant danio (D. malabaricus), a striped blue and yellow fish about 11 cm (4 inches) long.

  • giant deer (extinct mammal)

    Irish elk, (Megaloceros giganteus), extinct species of deer, characterized by immense body size and wide antlers, commonly found as fossils in Pleistocene deposits in Europe and Asia (the Pleistocene Epoch began 2.6 million years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago). Despite its distribution

  • giant devil ray (fish)

    manta ray: …(2 feet) across, but the Atlantic manta, or giant devil ray (Manta birostris), the largest of the family, may grow to more than 7 metres (23 feet) wide. The Atlantic manta is a well-known species, brown or black in colour and very powerful but inoffensive. It does not, old tales…

  • giant dioon (plant)

    Dioon: The spiny-leaved slow-growing giant dioon (Dioon spinulosum) may attain a height of 15 metres (about 50 feet). It is a popular houseplant and is grown outdoors as an ornamental in warmer climates. Starch like that of arrowroot is obtained from the seeds of the chestnut dioon (D. edule).

  • giant eland (mammal)

    eland: The giant, or Derby, eland (Taurotragus derbianus) inhabits woodlands filled with the broad-leaved doka tree in the northern savanna from Senegal to the Nile River. The common, or Cape, eland (T. oryx) ranges over the woodlands, plains, mountains, and subdeserts of eastern and southern Africa. The…

  • giant elephant shrew (mammal)

    elephant shrew: The largest species, the giant elephant shrew (R. udzungwensis), weighs about 0.7 kg (1.5 pounds) and inhabits two forested areas within the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania.

  • giant evergreen chinquapin (plant)

    chinquapin: …or giant, evergreen chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla), is native to western North America. It may be 45 metres (148 feet) tall and has lance-shaped leaves about 15 cm (6 inches) long, coated beneath with golden-yellow scales. The bush, or Sierra evergreen, chinquapin (Chrysolepis sempervirens) is a small spreading mountain shrub…

  • giant fennel (herb)

    fennel: Other species: Giant fennel (Ferula communis), a member of the same family, is native to the Mediterranean region. Its stems grow to about 3 meters (10 feet) high and are used for tinder. Hog’s fennel, or sulfurweed (Peucedanum officinale), is another member of the Apiaceae family and…

  • giant fern family (fern family)

    Marattiaceae, the giant fern family (order Marattiales), comprising six genera and some 150 modern species found throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Marattiaceae is the only family in its order, and it is generally considered to be one of the most primitive extant families of ferns.

  • giant filbert (plant)

    hazelnut: …filbert (Corylus avellana) and the giant hazel, or giant filbert (C. maxima), and by hybrids of these species with two American shrubs, the American hazelnut (C. americana) and the beaked hazelnut (C. cornuta). The large cobnut is a variety of the European filbert, and Lambert’s filbert is a variety of…

  • giant flying squirrel (rodent genus)

    flying squirrel: …feet) have been recorded for Giant flying squirrels (Petaurista). Ample loose skin and underlying muscle typically form a fur-covered membrane between each forelimb and hind limb; some species have smaller membranes between the head and wrists and between the hind limbs and tail. A cartilaginous rod that extends from the…

  • giant foxtail (plant)

    foxtail: The name giant foxtail is applied to two weedy annuals: S. faberi and S. magna.

  • giant fulmar (bird)

    fulmar: The giant fulmar, also known as the giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus), with a length of about 90 cm (3 feet) and a wingspread in excess of 200 cm (6.5 feet), is by far the largest member of the family. This species nests on islands around the…

  • giant gas planet (astronomy)

    planet: Planets of the solar system: …Jupiter to Neptune are called giant planets or Jovian planets. Between these two main groups is a belt of numerous small bodies called asteroids. After Ceres and other larger asteroids were discovered in the early 19th century, the bodies in this class were also referred to as minor planets or…

  • giant golden mole (mammal)

    golden mole: Natural history: The largest is the giant golden mole (Chrysospalax trevelyani) of South Africa, with a body 20 to 24 cm (7.9 to 9.4 inches) long; it is a forest dweller that dens in burrows but travels and forages along the surface. The smallest is Grant’s golden mole, weighing less than…

  • giant gourami (fish, Osphronemus species)

    gourami: …is the giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy), a Southeast Asian fish that is caught or raised for food; it has been introduced elsewhere. This species is a compact oval fish with a long filamentous ray extending from each pelvic fin. It attains a weight of about 9 kg (20 pounds).…

  • giant granadilla (plant)

    passion flower: Major species: …delicate dessert fruits, as the giant granadilla (P. quadrangularis). The purple passion fruit, also called purple granadilla or maracuyá (P. edulis), and the yellow granadilla, or water lemon (P. laurifolia), as well as the wild passion flower, are widely grown in tropical America for their fruit. P. maliformis is the…

  • giant ground pangolin (mammal)

    pangolin: …arboreal; others, such as the giant ground pangolin (M. gigantea, also classified as Smutsia gigantea) of Africa, are terrestrial. All are nocturnal and able to swim a little. Terrestrial forms live in burrows. Pangolins feed mainly on termites but also eat ants and other insects. They locate prey by smell…

  • giant ground sloth (extinct mammal)

    sloth: Classification and paleontology: …were small, but one, the giant ground sloth (Megatherium americanum), was the size of an elephant; others were as tall as present-day giraffes. The period of the ground sloths’ extinction coincides approximately with the end of the last Ice Age and the arrival of humans in North America. Sloths are…

  • giant grouper (fish)

    goliath grouper: The related giant grouper (E. lanceolatus) found in the Pacific and Indian ocean basins may reach 2.7 metres (8.8 feet) in length.

  • giant gum tree (tree)

    eucalyptus: Physical description: The giant gum tree, or mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), of Victoria and Tasmania, is one of the largest species and attains a height of about 90 meters (300 feet) and a circumference of 7.5 meters (24.5 feet). Many species continually shed the dead outermost layer of…

  • giant hazel (plant)

    hazelnut: …filbert (Corylus avellana) and the giant hazel, or giant filbert (C. maxima), and by hybrids of these species with two American shrubs, the American hazelnut (C. americana) and the beaked hazelnut (C. cornuta). The large cobnut is a variety of the European filbert, and Lambert’s filbert is a variety of…

  • giant hogweed (plant)

    cow parsnip: Giant hogweed (H. mantegazzianum) is native to the Caucasus but is considered an invasive species in many areas outside its native range. That striking plant can attain a height of 4 metres (about 13 feet) and has a stout red-spotted stem and a white inflorescence…

  • giant honeybee (insect)

    honeybee: Apis species: dorsata, the giant honeybee, also occurs in southeastern Asia and sometimes builds combs nearly three meters (more than nine feet) in diameter. A. cerana, the Eastern honeybee, is native to southern and southeastern Asia, where it has become domesticated in some areas. It is very closely related…

  • giant horsetail (plant)

    horsetail: Giant horsetail (E. praealtum) of North America and Asia, which reaches 3.5 metres (11.5 feet), also is evergreen. Each shoot has as many as 48 ridges. The giant horsetail of Europe (E. telmateia) is about the same height as common scouring rush. The tallest of…

  • giant hummingbird (bird)

    hummingbird: Even the largest, the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) of western South America, is only about 20 cm (8 inches) long, with a body weight of about 20 g (0.7 ounce), less than that of most sparrows. The smallest species, the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga, sometimes Calypte, helenae) of Cuba and…

  • giant huntsman spider (arachnid)

    giant huntsman spider, (Heteropoda maxima), massive cave-dwelling spider, sporting the largest leg span of any known spider. The giant huntsman spider was first formally discovered in a cave in Laos by German arachnologist Peter Jäger in 2001. It is not considered dangerous to humans. As is the

  • giant kelp (brown algae)

    Pelagophycus: …at the outer fringe of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests, which occur at comparatively shallow depths. Elk kelp, however, can hybridize naturally with giant kelp, and certain hybrid gametophytes produced from this crossing may be fertile. Both elk and giant kelp provide important habitats for other marine life, including other…

  • giant land tortoise (reptile)

    migration: Reptiles and amphibians: In the Galápagos Islands, giant land tortoises (Testudo elephantopus) stay chiefly in the upper humid zone, where food is abundant, but go down to the dry zone to lay their eggs. Despite their great body weight and slow pace, they travel some 50 kilometres (30 miles) across rough country.

  • giant magnetocaloric effect (chemistry)

    rare-earth element: Giant magnetocaloric effect: Magnetic materials that undergo a magnetic transition will usually heat up (though a few substances will cool down) when subjected to an increasing magnetic field, and when the field is removed the opposite occurs. This phenomenon is known as the magnetocaloric effect…

  • giant magnetoresistance (physics)

    Albert Fert: …for his independent codiscovery of giant magnetoresistance.

  • Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (telescope, Pune, India)

    radio telescope: Radio telescope arrays: Indian radio astronomers built the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), located near Pune, India. The GMRT contains 30 antennas extending some 25 km (16 miles) in diameter. Each antenna element is 45 metres (148 feet) in diameter and is constructed using a novel, inexpensive system of wire trusses to replace…

  • Giant Metrewave Wavelength Telescope (telescope, Pune, India)

    radio telescope: Radio telescope arrays: Indian radio astronomers built the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), located near Pune, India. The GMRT contains 30 antennas extending some 25 km (16 miles) in diameter. Each antenna element is 45 metres (148 feet) in diameter and is constructed using a novel, inexpensive system of wire trusses to replace…

  • giant miscanthus (plant)

    silvergrass: Giant miscanthus (M. ×giganteus) is a potential biofuel and biomass crop.

  • giant molecular cloud (astronomy)

    molecular cloud: Composition: …of this type, the so-called giant molecular clouds, are a million times more massive than the Sun. They contain much of the mass of the interstellar medium, are some 150 light-years across, and have an average density of 100 to 300 molecules per cubic centimetre and an internal temperature of…

  • Giant Mountains (mountains, Europe)

    Giant Mountains, mountains, major segment of the Sudeten in northeastern Bohemia and part of the western Czech-Polish frontier. The highest peak in both the mountains and Bohemia is Sněžka (5,256 feet [1,602 m]). The Elbe (Czech: Labe) River rises in Bohemia on the southern slope, and tributaries

  • giant muntjac (mammal)

    muntjac: It was named the giant, or large-antlered, muntjac (M. vuquangensis) because it appears to be larger than other muntjacs, with an estimated weight of 40–50 kg (88–110 pounds). The second species, which has the distinction of being the smallest deer in the world, was discovered near the town of…

  • giant nerve fibre (anatomy)

    cephalopod: Form and function: …from the study of these giant axons. The sense organs of the cephalopods are eyes, rhinophores (olfactory organs), statocysts (organs of equilibrium), and tactile organs. In Nautilus the eyes are open pits without lenses. In the Coleoidea the eyes are complex and approach those of some lower vertebrates in efficiency.

  • giant oarfish (fish)

    oarfish, (Regalecus glesne), large, long, sinuous fish of the family Regalecidae (order Lampridiformes), found throughout the tropics and subtropics in rather deep water. A ribbon-shaped fish, very thin from side to side, the oarfish may grow to a length of about 9 metres (30.5 feet) and a weight

  • giant order (architecture)

    colossal order, architectural order extending beyond one interior story, often extending through several stories. Though giant columns were used in antiquity, they were first applied to building facades in Renaissance Italy. Any of the orders (the major types being Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian,

  • giant otter (mammal)

    saro, rare South American species of otter

  • giant otter shrew (mammal)

    otter shrew: The giant otter shrew (Potamogale velox) has the body form, fur texture, and coloration of a river otter but is smaller. It weighs less than 400 grams (0.9 pound) and has a body 27 to 33 cm (11 to 13 inches) long and a slightly shorter…

  • giant Pacific octopus (mollusk)

    octopus: Description: …largest species, the reddish pink giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini), may grow to 5.4 metres (18 feet) in length and have an arm span of almost 9 metres (30 feet). The typical octopus has a saccular body: the head is only slightly demarcated from the body and has large complex…

  • giant pangolin (mammal)

    pangolin: …arboreal; others, such as the giant ground pangolin (M. gigantea, also classified as Smutsia gigantea) of Africa, are terrestrial. All are nocturnal and able to swim a little. Terrestrial forms live in burrows. Pangolins feed mainly on termites but also eat ants and other insects. They locate prey by smell…

  • giant peacock moth (insect)

    caterpillar: Caterpillars of the giant peacock moth (Saturnia pyri) send out ultrasonic warning chirps to deter predators. In some cases, those chirps occur just prior to or in conjunction with the release of pungent chemical deterrents. The masked birch caterpillar (Drepana arcuata) produces vibratory signals in order to defend…

  • giant penguin (fossil bird)

    Icadyptes: …represented by only one species, I. salasi.

  • giant petrel (bird)

    fulmar: The giant fulmar, also known as the giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus), with a length of about 90 cm (3 feet) and a wingspread in excess of 200 cm (6.5 feet), is by far the largest member of the family. This species nests on islands around the…

  • giant pitcher plant (botany)

    Nepenthes: Major species: species, the critically endangered Attenborough’s pitcher plant (N. attenboroughii), is the largest carnivorous plant, reaching up to 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) tall. Its pitchers are 30 cm (11.8 inches) in diameter and are able to capture and digest rodents and other small animals. About 25 other species are listed…

  • giant planet (astronomy)

    planet: Planets of the solar system: …Jupiter to Neptune are called giant planets or Jovian planets. Between these two main groups is a belt of numerous small bodies called asteroids. After Ceres and other larger asteroids were discovered in the early 19th century, the bodies in this class were also referred to as minor planets or…

  • giant pouched rat (mammal genus)

    African pouched rat: Natural history: The two species of giant pouched rat (genus Cricetomys) are hunted in the wild and eaten by native peoples. Gentle animals, they are easily tamed and raised in captivity and thus have been studied to determine their marketability as a reliable source of food. Both species (C. gambianus and…

  • giant puffball (fungus)

    basidiocarp: The largest basidiocarps include giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea), which can be 1.6 m (5.25 feet) long, 1.35 m broad, and 24 cm (9.5 inches) high, and those of bracket fungi (Polyporus squamosus)—2 m in diameter. The smallest are single cells of the yeastlike Sporobolomyces.

  • giant purple sea urchin (echinoderm)

    evolution: Gametic isolation: For example, the sea urchins Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and S. franciscanus can be induced to release their eggs and sperm simultaneously, but most of the fertilizations that result are between eggs and sperm of the same species. In animals with internal fertilization, sperm cells may be unable to function in the…

  • giant ragweed (plant)

    ragweed: Major species: …Roman wormwood, hogweed, hogbrake, and bitterweed, is found across the North American continent. It typically grows about 1 metre (3.5 feet) high and has thin, alternate or opposite, much-divided leaves. The great, or giant, ragweed (A. trifida), also called bitterweed or horse cane, is native from Quebec to British Columbia…

  • giant red urchin (echinoderm)

    evolution: Gametic isolation: Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and S. franciscanus can be induced to release their eggs and sperm simultaneously, but most of the fertilizations that result are between eggs and sperm of the same species. In animals with internal fertilization, sperm cells may be unable to function in the sexual ducts of…

  • giant reed (plant)

    giant reed, (Arundo donax), tall perennial grass of the family Poaceae. Giant reed is found in wetlands and riparian habitats and is thought to be native to eastern Asia; the plant has been widely introduced to southeastern North America, the Caribbean, and parts of the Mediterranean. The woody

  • giant reed grass (plant)

    reed: …common, or water, reed (Phragmites australis) occurs along the margins of lakes, fens, marshes, and streams from the Arctic to the tropics. It is a broad-leafed grass, about 1.5 to 5 metres (5 to 16.5 feet) tall, with feathery flower clusters and stiff, smooth stems. Other plants of the…

  • giant schnauzer (breed of dog)

    Schnauzer: The Giant Schnauzer, largest of the three breeds, was developed by Bavarian cattlemen who wanted a cattle dog like the Standard Schnauzer but larger. To produce such a dog, the Standard was crossed with various working dogs and, later, with the black Great Dane. The Giant…

  • giant sedge (plant)

    papyrus: …ancient times and also the plant from which it was derived, Cyperus papyrus (family Cyperaceae), also called paper plant. The papyrus plant was long cultivated in the Nile delta region in Egypt and was collected for its stalk or stem, whose central pith was cut into thin strips, pressed together,…

  • giant sensitive plant (plant)

    invasive species: A global problem: Giant sensitive tree (Mimosa pigra) may have been introduced by the Darwin Botanic Garden sometime before the 1890s; upalatable to most wildlife, it forms vast thickets and disrupts native wetland ecosystems. Cherry guava (Psidium cattleianum), Surinam cherry (Eugenia uniflora), Arabian coffee (Coffea arabica),

  • giant sensitive tree (plant)

    invasive species: A global problem: Giant sensitive tree (Mimosa pigra) may have been introduced by the Darwin Botanic Garden sometime before the 1890s; upalatable to most wildlife, it forms vast thickets and disrupts native wetland ecosystems. Cherry guava (Psidium cattleianum), Surinam cherry (Eugenia uniflora), Arabian coffee (Coffea arabica),

  • giant sequoia (plant)

    giant sequoia, (Sequoiadendron giganteum), coniferous evergreen tree of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), the largest of all trees in bulk and the most massive non-clonal organism by volume. The giant sequoia is the only species of the genus Sequoiadendron and is distinct from the coast redwoods

  • Giant Sequoia National Monument (region, California, United States)

    Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument, large natural region of mountains and forestland in east-central California, U.S. The area is noted for its more than three dozen groves of big trees, or giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), for which the national forest and the

  • giant silkworm moth (insect)

    saturniid moth, (family Saturniidae), family of about 1,500 species of moths, some of which spin thick, silken cocoons and are sometimes used to produce commercial silk. (Read Britannica’s essay “What’s the Differerence between Moths and Butterflies?”) Adults have stout, hairy bodies and broad