Home/Articles in: Wildlife & Flora
Articles in: Wildlife & Flora
Animals, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, May 14th, 2012,
A couple of months ago California’s only wild wolf went back to Oregon, leaving the Golden State effectively wolfless. But now he’s back in Cali and the paparazzi have caught him on film. Actually, OR7′s – or as he is sometimes referred to, Journey’s – photo was snapped by an employee of the California Department of Fish and Game From the Los Angeles Times: For the last couple of months he has wandered back and forth across the state border, most recently spending time in Modoc County. Tuesday, state fish and game staff were visiting ranchers, advising them that the…
Tags: California, coyote, journey, OR7, Oregon, wolf
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Species: Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting fact: The greater adjutant is named after an adjutant (military officer) because of its stately manner and habit of standing motionless for long periods of time. With its naked pink head, very thick yellow bill and low-hanging neck pouch, the greater adjutant is a rather eye-catching stork. Colonies of greater adjutants can be seen gathering in India and Cambodia at the start of the dry season in October. Large nests are constructed on tall trees, and eggs are laid between November and January. These hatch after about a month of incubation….
Tags: ARKive.org, endangered birds, endangered species, Greater adjutant, Leptoptilos dubius
Animals, Wildlife & Flora, May 7th, 2012,
The northern coast of Peru has seen the deaths of huge numbers of pelicans and dolphins in the last few weeks, prompting government warnings to stay away from certain beaches. The Peruvian government’s health alert follows discoveries of some 1,200 dead birds (mostly pelicans) and over 800 dead dolphins. What is causing the deaths of these animals is unknown. One possibility is that warming ocean temperatures have forced anchovies into other waters where the young birds can’t find them, meaning that the birds are dying due to starvation. Some 15 years ago El Niño was blamed for a mass pelican…
Tags: beaches, deaths, dolphins, pelicans, Peru
Animals, Conservation, Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
White-tailed Eagle is one of the largest birds of prey in the world. It weighs up to 6 kilograms, with a 2.5 metre wingspan. “During the period 1800-1970, White-tailed Eagles in most of Europe, underwent dramatic declines, and became extinct in many regions of Western, central, and Southern Europe. While Norway, Germany, Poland, and Iceland harboured the largest surviving populations, pockets of reproducing pairs remained in several other countries” – according to Wikipedia. The White-Tailed Eagle (Polish: Bielik, plural Bieliki) is considered Poland’s national symbol and it is believed that it’s this noble bird that appears on the Coat of…
Tags: babies, chick, eggs, live transmission, nest, nestling, Poland, while-tail eagle
Conservation, Nature, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Species: Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The coelacanth is a member of an ancient lineage that has been around for over 360 million years. It may be the closest living relative to the first creature to walk on land! The enigmatic coelacanth was believed to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs until its remarkable rediscovery in 1938. Fossils have been found all over the world except for Antarctica. Living coelacanths have been found in deep submarine caverns, reefs and slopes in a number of locations off the coast of Africa. Unlike any other living animal, coelacanths…
Tags: archive.org, Coelacanth, critically endangered, Latimeria chalumnae, oceans
Animals, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, May 4th, 2012,
Most of us associate wildlife with the countryside rather than with cities, unless you count cockroaches, rats and pigeons as wildlife (and why not, they are alive and not domesticated). However, urban environments can be unlikely havens for certain species that thrive or at least hang on to tiny remnants of their original habitats. Larger animals can pose complications, such as the exploding deer population in Washington, DC. And by exploding, I was referring to their numbers, not the actual deer. That would really be a problem. Then there are the UK’s urban foxes – loved, hated or even feared…
Tags: foxes, urban wildlife
Animals, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, May 1st, 2012,
A dolphin has spent several days apparently hiding out in Orange County, California’s Bolsa Chica wetlands reserve. When rescue workers on paddleboards attempted to persuade the dolphin to return to the open sea on Saturday, it was driven back into the wetlands by a group of dolphin bullies. On Friday, it was human spectators who scared the dolphin back into the reserve. Marine experts are now recommending that the dolphin be left alone rather than encouraged to leave and be exposed to the intimidating dolphin group. It can feed on fish in the wetlands and is able to find its…
Tags: bullied, California, dolphin, Reserve, wetlands
Conservation, green living, Nature, Sustainable living, sustainable living, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 28th, 2012,
Species: Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting fact: The southern bluefin tuna is one of the largest bony fish in the world, growing up to 4.3 metres long! The southern bluefin tuna is an incredibly streamlined and powerful fish capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km per hour through the water. Swimming together in shoals, the southern bluefin tuna migrates vast distances from the spawning grounds in the Indian Ocean to the feeding grounds in colder, southern waters. During the spawning period, a mature female will produce several million eggs. Southern bluefin tuna are opportunistic…
Tags: ARKive.org, Conservation, critically endangered species, endangered species, fish, oceans, Southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii
Climate & Change, Health, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 25th, 2012,
It’s coming some time and maybe… The Asian tiger mosquito originates in hot and muggy South East Asia. But international trade, tourism and (increasingly) climate change will enable the tropical disease-carrying insect to establish itself in northern Europe, including the UK. Reports last September from the US told of how the smaller, but more aggressive Asian tiger mosquito was causing problems in the states of California, Texas, Florida and Hawaii; and cities including Memphis, New Orleans and Washington DC. In Europe, the Asian tiger has already encroached upon parts of Italy, Spain, southern France, the Balkans and even The Netherlands….
Tags: Asian Tiger, dengue, Europe, mosquito
Conservation, Nature, Sustainable living, Weird & Wonderful, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 24th, 2012,
Species: Goliath frog (Conraua goliath) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The goliath frog is the largest frog in the world, weighing in at over 3 kilograms. The goliath frog can be found in flowing rainforest rivers in Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Goliath frogs lack vocal sacs, and so their courtship displays do not involve the characteristic calls of most other frogs and toads. Females lay several hundred eggs onto vegetation on the river bottom, and once hatched, the tadpoles feed on the plant Dicraea warmingii. Complete metamorphosis takes around 85-95 days, and once mature the adults feed on insects, crustaceans…
Tags: ARKive.org, Conraua goliath, Conservation, endangered frog, endangered species, Goliath frog
Conservation, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 20th, 2012,
The demilitarized zone that makes up the borderlands dividing North and South Korea is an unlikely (and unintentional) wildlife reserve. The DMZ is home to many species that are extinct on the remainder of the Korean peninsula. Full of landmines and guarded by armed soldiers from both the north and south, the area is obviously unwelcoming to human visitors. But this has allowed the forest to grow and wildlife to thrive for nearly 70 years. The rest of Korea is a different story: international competition over the country’s resources and a 40-year Japanese occupation stripped and devastated the peninsula. What…
Tags: DMZ, Korea, wildlife
Climate & Change, climate change, Natural disasters, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 19th, 2012,
By Michael D. Lemonick For years, we who communicate about climate change have been wringing our hands over how to make people understand the problem at a gut level. Endangered polar bears? Too far removed. Island nations like the Maldives sinking beneath the waves? Too far away. Hot temperatures by 2100? Too far in the future. But like the first, outlying squalls from an oncoming hurricane, the first effects of climate change are already here, in the form of heat waves, droughts, intense rainstorms and more, and people are evidently noticing. Not just the extremes themselves: you couldn’t have missed…
Tags: climate change, climatecentral.org, extreme weather, global warming, natural disasters
Conservation, green living, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 17th, 2012,
At Leo Politi Elementary, a public school in inner city Los Angeles, California, students learn about wildlife in a 5,000 square foot (465 square meter) oasis of native flora and fauna. The school is located in a crowded, economically disadvantaged neighborhood – more of concrete jungle than a real jungle. But three years ago the school decided to clear a concrete area and turn it into an space for native California fauna. Soon insects and birds came to take advantage of the lush plant life. Students have thrived in their new natural environment, with science scores rising six fold in…
Tags: elementary, Leo Politi, Los Angeles, school
Climate & Change, Natural disasters, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 16th, 2012,
Dry weather in much of England is threatening to devastate farming and wildlife, and could extend past next Christmas. Parts of England have entered official drought status, with water rationing measures in place. Soils are so dried out that recent rains did little to help conditions. This may sound like strange weather in a country known for rain rather than droughts, especially in April, but the dangers are all too real. Helen Vale, national drought coordinator at the Environment Agency is quoted in the Guardian: The amount of water that we use at home and in our businesses has a…
Tags: drought, England, water, wildlife
Conservation, Nature, Sustainable living, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Species: Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) Status:Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting fact: The gharial is one of the largest crocodilians and has the narrowest snout! Named after the bulbous nasal appendage of the male (which resembles an Indian pot called a ‘ghara’), the gharial is a unique species of crocodilian found in India and Nepal. A true piscivore, the extremely narrow snout of the gharial is superbly adapted to whip through the water quickly to snatch fish with its small, razor-sharp teeth. The gharial has relatively weak legs, and when fully grown is unable to raise its body off the ground. This may…
Tags: ARKive.org, conservation nature, endangered species, Gavialis gangeticus, Gharial
Pollution, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 10th, 2012,
About a month after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, radioactive particles were detected in giant kelp samples off the California coast. The level 7 nuclear incident resulted from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the region around Fukushima, Japan in March of 2011. In a recent study California State University marine biologists tested giant kelp up and down the coastline of the state, from Laguna Beach to Santa Cruz, and found radioactive iodine, suggesting that radiation that leaked from the damaged Fukushima reactors had reached California. Levels 250 times higher than previous measurements were found in…
Tags: California, Fukushima, iodine, japan, kelp, radiation, radioactive
Climate & Change, Nature, Sustainable living, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 7th, 2012,
Species: Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The Philippine eagle is the world’s largest species of eagle. With a wingspan of up to two metres and sharp talons, the Philippine eagle is a formidable predator. Swooping from branch to branch in the canopy of its forest habitat, it uses its excellent eyesight to spot its prey of flying lemurs, palm civets and monkeys. This habit of hunting monkeys has earned the Philippine eagle the alternative common name of ‘monkey-eating eagle’. Philippine eagles are also known to hunt in pairs with one individual acting as a decoy…
Tags: ARKive.org, endangered birds, endangered species of the week, Philippine eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi, wildlife
Conservation, Nature, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 30th, 2012,
Tigernation.org, an innovative new website which gives everyone a chance to follow the dramas of wild tigers in their Indian forest homes and at the same time help protect India’s wild tigers, launched this week. The site gives a graphic, never before illustrated insight into India’s threatened tiger population. Take a look at the infographic and video below to understand fully what Tiger Nation is trying to achieve and how important their cause is. This is an exciting website with everyone encouraged to have fun, learn and get involved in protecting the tigers. Subscribers to the site can follow the lives…
Tags: endangered species, endangered tigers india, infographic tigers, Tigernation.org, tigers
Pollution, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 29th, 2012,
The jury is in: common agricultural pesticides disrupt the navigation systems of honeybees and reduce the weight and number of queens in bumblebee hives. Two separate studies showed strong links between pesticides and the epidemic disappearance of honeybees in the US and UK, known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Experiments showed that honeybees died or failed to return to their hives in much greater numbers than expected. Bumblebees exposed to typical levels of pesticides saw their hives populations shrink by 10% versus hives not exposed. What’s worse is they almost lost their ability to produce new queens. Only queens live…
Tags: bumblebees, CCD, Colony Collapse Disorder, honeybees, pesticides, UK, US
Conservation, Nature, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 26th, 2012,
Species: California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The California condor urinates on its own legs to keep cool! The California condor is a member of the New World vulture family, and has an impressive wingspan of just less than three metres. Native to North America, the California condor soars over large distances on its immense wings, using its vision to spot carrion on which to feed. Its large size means it dominates other scavengers at a carcass, except the golden eagle which, while smaller, has an impressive set of talons. The California condor mates for life,…
Tags: ARKive.org, California Condor, Conservation, endangered birds, endangered species, Gymnogyps californianus
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