ENDANGERED. The Siberian tiger (also known as the Amur tiger) is the largest cat in the world! Males can be up to 11ft long and weigh 660lbs. Deforestation is the biggest reason for the population decline. These tigers are also poached for their fur and body parts (used in traditional medicine). They live mostly inContinueContinue reading “RAWR”
Tag Archives: Wildlife Conservation
Open Wide!
Although river otters are adorable they are carnivores. Their favorite food – fish. They use those sharp canines to stab and catch fish. Built to swim, river otters can hold their breath for 8 minutes and dive up to 60 ft deep. Pollution and habitat destruction are major threats to their conservation.
Have you ever seen a fox in a tree?
Gray foxes are the only fox species that can climb trees. They climb up to 50 ft and jump from branch to branch. Like all foxes they are omnivores, they eat just about everything. They play an important role in the environment by controlling rodent populations. Although they are not considered endangered, gray foxes’ habitatsContinueContinue reading “Have you ever seen a fox in a tree?”
Monkeys with caps
The Eastern Black Colobus Monkey. They can leap up to 25ft from tree to tree, using their long fur as a sort of parachute. The name “colobus” comes from the Greek word for mutilated, because their thumbs are just nubs. They are hunted for their fur which is used to make hats and capes. TheyContinueContinue reading “Monkeys with caps”
The Big Macs of the Savannah
Impalas are known as the big macs of the savannah because everything eats them. They also have a black M pattern on their butts that looks like the golden arches. Impalas are incredible jumpers, they can jump as far as 33 ft (10 m) and as high as 10ft (3 m).
Ringtails
An adorable and curious ring-tailed cat in a barn in Arizona. Despite their name, ring-tailed cats are not related to cats. They are part of the racoon (procyonidae) family. Ringtails are the state mammal of Arizona.
The Great Egret
Egrets are members of the heron family. They stand motionless in the water waiting for their prey to come near, then they strike quickly and swallow their prey whole. Today egrets are known as one of the great conservation success stories. During the late 1800s, their population was nearly wiped out due to plume huntingContinueContinue reading “The Great Egret”
Do you know this animal??
A Short-beaked echidna. Echidnas are truly UNIQUE creatures; they have spines, pouches, beaks, electroreceptors, no teeth, a long sticky tongue, and are monotremes; egg-laying mammals. The platypus is the only other egg-laying mammal. Fun facts: Echidnas can swim.Echidnas have the slowest metabolism of any mammal and can live up to 45 years in the wild.ContinueContinue reading “Do you know this animal??”
The Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana
A black spiny-tailed iguana basking in the mexican sun. These are the world’s fastest lizards, with a max speed of 34.6 km/h or 21.7mph. As more of their natural habitat is destroyed, the iguana populations continue to decline. Although black spiny-tailed iguanas are not considered endangered, there are several other iguana species that are endangered. Such asContinueContinue reading “The Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana”
The Great Gerenuk
Gerenuks are considered near threatened by the IUCN. Meaning that their population is decreasing. Their biggest threat is the loss and fragmentation of their habitat. Gerenuks are also known as giraffe gazelles. In order to reach certain foods gerenuks stand on their hind legs and stretch out their necks.