Endangered Mammals

00:50 |

Being mammals ourselves, we tend to feel passionately about the plight of other mammals, such as tigers and pandas. Most endangered mammal species are threatened by habitat loss, while a significant percentage continue to be hunted despite dwindling population sizes.
According to the IUCN, some 20 percent of all known mammal species are either threatened or endangered. That's nearly 1,100 species. Some, like the baiji, are likely beyond hope. Others, like the giant panda, continue to make strides in the right direction.

Addax
The addax is a rare antelope found in the deserts of northwest Africa.

African Wild Ass
Like their horse and zebra relatives, wild asses have a long neck and legs and a mane on the back of the neck, which is erect on the African wild ass.

African Wild Dog
African wild dogs are about the size of a medium-sized domestic dog.

Anoa
The anoa is one of the smallest cattle species, and one of the most endangered.

Arabian Oryx
The Arabian oryx is an antelope that lives in nomadic herds.

Asian Buffalo
The Asian buffalo is a cattle species that occurs in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand, but its range was once much larger.

Asian Elephant
Asian elephants are somewhat smaller than African elephants, their close relatives.

Aye-Aye
The aye-aye is a species of lemur, a group of primates with large ears, long limbs and a long body.

Bactrian Camel
The Bactrian camel is a two-hump camel with a shaggy coat and an almost U-shaped neck.
Baiji
The baiji is a toothed whale with an elongated beak, a sleek body and an average weight of about 300 pounds.

Baird's Tapir
Tapirs are piglike animals with long legs, an extended trunk and relatively streamlined bodies.

Bearded Saki
The bearded saki is a monkey found in the dense tropical forests of the Amazon. It is an unusual-looking animal.

Black-Footed Ferret
The black-footed ferret is a carnivorous mammal with short ears, a short snout and five toes on each foot.

Black Rhinoceros
The black rhinoceros is a huge animal with gray skin, a hooked upper lip and a horn on the snout made of tough protein.

Blue Whale
The largest animal on the planet, the blue whale can reach a length of more than 100 feet.

Bonobo
The bonobo is slightly smaller than the chimpanzee, and has a slimmer body and longer limbs.

Broad-Nosed Gentle Lemur
The broad-nosed gentle lemur is the largest of the bamboo lemurs.

Read User's Comments(0)

Extrordinary Bird and Dog Survive Tsunami

00:46 |

I'd like to start this week off with two bits of rare good news after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific.
Wisdom, the 60 year old Laysan albatross, is remarkable by any definition. She's outlived every other member of her species (and in fact, any other wild bird on record) and is still laying eggs and raising young. When the post-eathquake tsunami struck Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge where Wisdom was caring for her most recent chick, the worst was feared. Miraculously, both Wisdom and her chick survived!

Survival was also in the cards for an extrememly lucky dog that was washed out to sea off the coast of Japan during the tsunami. Rescue workers searching for human victims spotted the dog on the roof of a building floating in the ocean amid other debris. Watch this news report about the extraordinary rescue.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Read User's Comments(0)

Scientists Predict Baby Boom for Leatherback Sea Turtles in Florida

00:44 |

Leatherback sea turtle nests have increased by more than 10 percent a year along the coast of 68 beaches in Florida since 1979, according to researchers at Duke University. The increased nesting suggests that conservation and recovery efforts mandated under the Endangered Species Act are working.

Read more at ScienceDaily.

Improved monitoring of protected nesting beaches may not be the only factor in the turtles’ comeback. Changing ocean conditions could be keeping predators at bay and bringing in their favorite fare, like jellyfish.

While the news is good for Florida’s leatherback sea turtles, their numbers still suffer in countries like Mexico and Costa Rica, where they are on the brink of extinction. Costa Rica once hosted thousands of female leatherbacks each year.

Read User's Comments(0)

Defenders Of Wildlife Announce Grand Prize Winning Photo

00:41 |

After 8,500 entries and over 57,000 votes, the organization Defenders of Wildlife finally announced the grand prize winner for their second-annual photo contest. Photographer Jim Chagares captured this heartwarming photo while in Katmai National Park in southern Alaska. He was also a first place winner in last year’s contest. “I learned from the old masters

Read User's Comments(0)

Animal Planet’s “Growing Up Lion” – Was There a Happy End?

00:38 |

Animal Planet’s “Growing Up Lion” – Was There a Happy End?

Posted on December 21st, 2008

by REXANO in All News

Read 3,739 times.

REXANO, www.REXANO.org Editorial by Anonymous
Animal Planet recently released its five DVD gift, which includes “Growing Up Wildcats”. One of the episode features lions at the Wild Animal Orphanage (WAO) in Texas.
The film critics make you believe that:
“Carol and Ron Asvestas own the Wild Animal Orphanage near San Antonio, Texas, and spent a year raising four lion cubs. Beautiful animals facing their share of joys and challenges, including being sick. But this pride survives.”
And another synopses claims:
“ “Growing Up Lion”
Experience a pivotal and emotional year with Carol and Ron Asvestas, owners of Wild Animal Orphanage near San Antonio, Texas, as they raise four lion cubs. There’s Amy, a tiny newborn and three cubs - Rex, Sheba and Leo - babies quickly growing in size, strength and curiosity. Every day brings new joys, adventures and discoveries. The lion cubs also face their share of challenges - from serious illness to natural disasters. But with abundant, tender-loving care from their human family, the cubs embark on a remarkable journey toward the formation of lion cub pride.”

However, the touching story of Rex, Sheba and Leo portrayed in “Growing Up Lion” is just that—a very nice tug-at-your-heart story. Shortly after the film crew left San Antonio, the lion cubs were removed from their large natural enclosure and returned to the property where they were raised. They were placed in a much smaller enclosure where Rex was killed by his cage mates (as documented by the USDA/APHIS on 10-10-06). Jambo, the father of Amy, died under unusual circumstances at the same facility in 2007. Sheba and Leo can be seen on tour at the original site where they were raised along with Sebastian—but the cage they live in now is a far cry from the spacious enclosure shown on “Growing Up Lion.” Amy’s current health status is currently unknown.

Read User's Comments(3)

Lion

21:49 |

Lion, a large meat-eating animal of Africa and India. The lion is one of the largest members of the cat family. Because of its noble, dignified bearing the lion is known as the “king of beasts.” Lions have long been popular zoo and circus attractions and can be taught many tricks. Most lions in circuses and zoos were either born in captivity or were captured as cubs.
Lions

Lions seize prey with their powerful jaws.Lions are found in many parts of Africa. They are most abundant in grassland areas where game is most plentiful; but they also are found in rocky, semidesert regions. The once abundant Asiatic lion formerly roamed the northern half of India; today, only a few hundred individuals, virtually all of them living in a wildlife sanctuary in the Gir Forest, survive.
Within historic times lions lived throughout western Asia and in Greece and other parts of southeastern Europe. Before the last great Ice Age they lived in southern Europe and in what are now France, Germany, and the British Isles.
The mountain lion of North America is not a lion, but a cougar.

How Many Kinds of Lions Are There?

Lions that live in Africa are called African lions. Those that live in India are called Asiatic lions. These lions may go by different names, but there is only one species, or kind, of lion.
Thousands of years ago, lions could be found over much of the world. They lived in Africa, Europe, Asia, and even North and South America. Lions probably disappeared from many regions when forests grew too thick, their prey became extinct, and humans overhunted them. Today, the only lions that live outside of Africa are found in one area of India.
Lions that live in Africa and India belong to the same species. But there are differences between them. Lions living in India are smaller than those living in Africa. They also have smaller manes. Because of these slight differences, these two forms of lions are often called by different names.
Facts in brief about lions Names: Male, lion; female, lioness; young, cub; group, pride.Gestation period: About 3 1/2 months.Number in litter: 1 to 6, usually 2 or 3.Length of life: 20 to 25 years, in captivity; in the wild, 15 to 20 years.Where found: Africa south of the Sahara; the Gir Forest of India.Scientific classification: Lions belong to the class Mammalia, and the order Carnivora. They are in the cat family, Felidae. Their scientific name is Panthera leo.

The Lion's Body

Most full-grown males are 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3 m) long, including a 3-foot (90-cm) tail, and weigh 400 to 500 pounds (180 to 225 kg). Lionesses are generally smaller.
The lion has a strong, muscular body with exceptionally powerful forequarters. It is tawny-yellow to brownish-gray in color with buff underparts. The Asiatic lion has a prominent fold of skin along the abdomen. The lion's tail is tufted with black fur, and within the tuft is a hard, sharp spine, the purpose of which is not known. Each toe has a strong, curved, retractable claw up to three inches (7.5 cm) long. In the mighty jaws, which can open to 12 inches (30 cm) wide, are teeth that can crush a bull's spine at a bite.
The adult male usually develops a brown to black mane about its neck. The mane is often a luxuriant growth in captive lions, but is scant and scraggly in wild ones that have to push through thorny brush.

How Are a Lion and a Pet Cat Alike?

A lion and a pet cat have a lot in common. Both have similar shapes. They have lean bodies and long tails. Both have long, pointed canines and sharp, retractable claws. Both species use their claws to climb, to hold, to fight, and to kill. And both a lion and a pet cat walk on their toes—not on the soles of their feet.
Lions spend much of their time on the ground. But they are good climbers, too—just as pet cats are. Both species can climb trees to chase prey. Also, both lions and pet cats use body language and scents to communicate. They also use calls. Lions roar. Pet cats meow. And just like pet cats, lions take catnaps!
But, in spite of all these similarities, there is one big difference. A lion is about 30 times larger than the average pet cat. Imagine having a cat that big around the house!

What Makes Lions “Kings”?

Lions are often called kings of the animal world, and it is easy to see why. Lions are among the largest of the wild cats. Most male lions weigh from 350 to 400 pounds (160 to 180 kilograms), but some weigh up to 560 pounds (250 kilograms). Including their tails, full-grown male lions are usually about 9 feet (2.7 meters) in length. They stand an average of 4 feet tall (1.2 meters) at the shoulder. Lionesses, or female lions, are slightly smaller.

But their huge size does not slow these animals down. While chasing prey, lions can reach speeds up to 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour.
A male lion has one of the largest heads of all the wild cats. Around his head and neck is a mane of thick, long hair. This mane gives the male lion a kingly look. He is the only wild cat with a mane.

Is a Lion’s Mane Just for Show?

A mane makes an adult male lion look bigger than he really is. It is made up of long, thick fur. It may be yellow, brown, or black in color. But while a mane is striking, it’s more than just for show.
The bigger mane a male lion has, the more impressive he looks to other males. And the more impressive he looks, the more likely he will become one of the leaders of a group of lions.
A majestic mane also helps a male avoid fights with other males. This is because males with less impressive manes are not likely to fight lions with longer manes. But if a male lion does get into a fight, the thick mane comes in handy. It protects a male lion’s neck.

Read User's Comments(0)

Tigers

21:39 |

Tigers those big cats with the black stripes are just one of the many species of large cats found around the world. These beautiful animals possess not only grace and sophistication but razor sharp claws and a killer instinct to match.
Tigerdata.info is dedicated to the study and dissemination of useful articles related to the tiger. This opening article is a quick introduction to tigers, what they are and where you find them. So lets get straight into the details.

Tigers, otherwise known as Panthera Tigris are the largest and most powerful of the cat family, the orange and black striped coat isn’t just for beauty but gives the cat a formidable disguise in dense undergrowth. These cats despite their size (6-12 foot in lenght, and up to 300 kg in weight) are excellent at sneaking up and ambushing their prey. Their prey usually consists of hoofed mammals like pigs, deer, cattle and other small mammals.
Now despite such power and stealth tigers lack the speed of other cats which means their powerful legs which allow them to make leaps as far as 10m (33 feet) in length are even more essential. Combine a powerful jump with retractable claws (they won’t get worn down in day to day life) and a foreshortened jaw (gives them a crushing bite) and you have a deadly jungle predator.
In terms of living tigers live a predominantly solitary life keeping to themselves. Despite this tiger groups do exist but these are usually groups of mothers with their young. A tiger mother will usually rear 2-4 cubs in her lifetime and will usually stick with its cubs for around 2 years before letting them go alone. A tiger cub will usually reach full maturity at around 3-4 years old so despite it sounding like a long time at 2 years the young tiger still has a lot to learn. In terms of overall lifespan you can expect a tiger to reach 15 years of age, however with so much hunting and poaching these days there luck to live that long.

Tigers have a high level of social tolerance which means accidental disputes and fights are usually kept to a minimum. Despite this clear boundaries between tiger territories are usually marked just incase, but with all this information infront of us the biggest threat to tigers are still human poachers who have sent the species into a downward spiral and on the verge of extinction.

Read User's Comments(0)

Elephant

21:32 |

Elephant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Elephant (disambiguation).

African bush elephant

African elephant skeleton

Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta) elephants.

Elephants are large land mammals in two genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta. Three species of elephant are living today: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant (also known as the Indian elephant). All other species and genera of Elephantidae are extinct, some since the last ice age although dwarf forms of mammoths may have survived as late as 2,000 BCE.^[1] Elephants and other Elephantidae were once classified with other thick-skinned animals in a now invalid order, Pachydermata.
Elephants are the largest land animals now living.^[2] The elephant's gestation period is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kilograms (260 lb). They typically live for 50 to 70 years, but the oldest recorded elephant lived for 82 years.^[3] The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1956. This male weighed about 24,000 lb (11,000 kg),^[4] with a shoulder height of 3.96 metres (13.0 ft), a metre (yard) taller than the average male African elephant.^[5] The smallest elephants, about the size of a calf or a large pig, were a prehistoric species that lived on the island of Crete during the Pleistocene epoch.^[6]
Elephants are a symbol of wisdom in Asian cultures and are famed for their memory and intelligence, where their intelligence level is thought to be equal to that of dolphins^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10] and primates.^[11]^[12] Aristotle once said the elephant was "the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind."^[13] The word "elephant" has its origins in the Greek ἐλέφας, meaning "ivory" or "elephant".^[14]
According to observations, healthy adult elephants have no natural predators,^[15] although lions may take calves or weak individuals.^[16]^[17] They are, however, threatened by human intrusion and

Read User's Comments(0)

Deer

21:18 |

Defined strictly, a deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. A number of broadly similar animals, from related families within the order Artiodactyla, are often also called deer.
Depending on the species, male deer are called stags, bucks or bulls, and females are called hinds, does or cows. Young deer are called fawns or calves. Hart is an expression for a stag, particularly a Red Deer stag past its fifth year. It is not commonly used, but an example is in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" when Tybalt refers to the brawling Montagues and Capulets as hartless hinds.
Deer are widely distributed, with representatives in all continents except Australia and Africa.
Deer differ from other ruminants in that they have antlers instead of horns. Antlers are bony growths which develop each year (usually in summer) and, in general, it is only male deer that develop them (although there are exceptions).

There are about 43 species
of deer worldwide, divided into two broad groups: the old world group includes the subfamilies Muntiacinae and Cervinae; the new world deer the subfamilies Hydropotinae and Capreolinae. Note that the terms indicate the origin of the groups, not their modern distribution: the Water Deer, for example, is a new world species but is found only in China and Korea.
It is thought that the new world group evolved about 5 million years ago in the forests of North America and Siberia, the old world deer in Asia.

Deer are selective feeders. They have small, unspecialised stomachs by herbivore standards, and high nutrition requirememts: ingesting sufficient minerals to grow a new pair of antlers every year is a significant task. Rather than attempt to digest vast quantities of low-grade, fiberous food as, for example, sheep and cattle do, deer select easily digestable shoots, young leaves, fresh grasses, soft twigs, fruit, fungi, and lichens.
Deer have long had economic significance to humans. While they are generally not as easily domesticated as sheep, goats, pigs and even cattle, the association between people and deer is very old. Deer meat, for which they are hunted and farmed, is called venison.

Read User's Comments(0)

penguin

21:07 |

A penguin is a flightless marine bird, and an iconic figure in the avian world, despite the fact that their range is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. Many children learn to recognize the distinctive black and white coloration of the penguin at an early age, and the birds are popular attractions in zoos and aquatic parks all over the world. Many adults find the birds endearing because of their waddling walk and engaging faces, and the birds are also used to brand a number of products including the popular Penguin Classics books and the Linux operating system.

All penguins are in the family Spheniscidae, and the exact number of penguin species is a subject of dispute, with estimates ranging from 15-19 distinct species. The largest variety of penguin is the Antarctic Emperor Penguin, which stands an impressive four feet (120 centimeters) when fully grown, and the smallest is the Little Blue Penguin of Australia and New Zealand, topping out at 14 inches (35 centimeters). In all cases, penguins retain essentially the same coloration, with dark backs and pale bellies.

The coloration of the penguin assists it in hunting seafood such as fish and crustaceans, because the dark back camouflages the penguin from predators above while the white belly makes them less visible to prey from below. Penguins also have wings which resemble flippers, having evolved to value swimming over the ability to fly, and they have strong webbed feet to kick with while they swim. In addition, penguins have oily, stiff feathers to waterproof their bodies while swimming in cold water.
Penguins feed exclusively in the ocean, surviving on stored fat while on land incubating eggs. Most penguins share incubation duties, keeping the egg on top of the feet and crouching over it, insulating the egg with their bellies. One penguin will travel to the ocean to eat while the other incubates, and then the couple will switch off. Once the penguin chick hatches, both parents participate in the feeding and care until it becomes a juvenile and is able to fend for itself.

Read User's Comments(0)

Archives

The Lion's Body

Elephant