Home/Articles in: Wildlife & Flora
Articles in: Wildlife & Flora
Conservation, Green living, Nature, 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, Green living, Nature, Weird Stuff, 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, 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, Green living, Nature, 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, Green living, Nature, 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, Green living, Nature, Science & Technology, 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
Conservation, Nature, Science & Technology, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 19th, 2012,
Species: Markhor (Capra falconeri) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The horns of the male markhor can reach up to 1.6 metres in length! The stunning markhor is a species of goat that roams the precipitous rock faces of central Asia. It is a highly skilled climber and nimbly traverses mountains in order to avoid predators such as the snow leopard. Mainly feeding on tussock grass, female and young markhor live in small herds whilst the males are solitary until the breeding season or ‘rut’. The males then join the herds and compete aggressively for the right to mate by rearing up…
Tags: ARKive.org, Capra falconeri, Conservation, endangered animals, endangered goat, endangered species of the week, Markhor
Conservation, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 10th, 2012,
Species: African wild ass (Equus africanus) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The African wild ass is the ancestor of the domestic donkey! An extremely hardy species, the African wild ass exists in scattered populations in northern Africa. In its desert habitat, it can sustain water loss of up to 30% of its body weight, though it usually remains within 30 kilometres of a water source. While the African wild ass may seek out shade in the hottest part of the day, in early morning and late evening it is more active, and seeks out grasses and herbs on which to…
Tags: african wild ass, animals, ARKive, donkeys, endangered species, Equus africanus
Animals, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 7th, 2012,
Journey (aka OR-7), for a while the only Gray Wolf living wild in the state of California, has now packed up and returned north to Oregon. It was fun while it lasted, but like many who become disillusioned with the shallow glitz of celebrity, Journey is in need of real friends. Those don’t exist in California, not for wolves anyway. OR-7 won’t find a pack or a lone mate, since he is the only wild wolf known to set foot in California since the 1920s. Of course, since Journey is tracked by satellite thanks to a GPS collar, it’s easy…
Tags: California, gray, journey, or-7, Oregon, wolf
Conservation, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 3rd, 2012,
Species: Dlinza pinwheel (Trachycystis clifdeni) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The Dlinza pinwheel has a line of bristles round its shell! The exceptionally striking Dlinza pinwheel is a small species of snail that is found in only the Dlinza Forest in South Africa. Its name comes from the unusual whorl of bristles that radiate out from the edge of its shell, and resemble a Catherine wheel or pinwheel firework. The fragile, almost translucent pale-brown shell is a spiral shape with up to five whorls. In its coastal forest home, the Dlinza pinwheel can be found beneath leaves, under fallen logs,…
Tags: ARKive.org, Conservation, critically endangered, Dlinza pinwheel, endangered species of the week, snail endangered, snails, Trachycystis clifdeni
Animal Rights, Animals, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 27th, 2012,
Consuming shark fin soup is a bad idea, not only because of the decreasing number of sharks, but it can also lead to a brain damage. “A new study has found high concentrations of BMAA in shark fins — a neurotoxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases in humans including Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig disease (ALS)”, informs sunnewsnetwork.ca. Patients with these diseases, tested before they died, had very high levels of BMAA – up to 256 nanograms per milligram – in their brains. Shark fins contain between 144 and 1836 ng/mg of this neurotoxin. The threat comes, not only from eating the…
Tags: Alzheimer's, brain, fin soup, killing, neurotoxins, shark
Conservation, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, ,
Species: Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The dawn redwood was known only from ancient fossils, until a small population was discovered in the forests of Central China in 1944. Considered to be one of the greatest botanical finds of the 20th century, the dawn redwood has been dubbed a ‘living fossil’. This coniferous tree grows with an orange-brown, thick, tapering trunk and a broad, buttressed base. Green in the spring and summer, the leaves of this deciduous tree turn a vibrant reddish-brown before falling to the ground in autumn. The dawn redwood is a monoecious species, meaning the male…
Tags: ARKive.org, dawn redwood, endangered plants, endangered species of the week, Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Animal Rights, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 23rd, 2012,
At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, Canada, scientists and philosophers have argued for affording whales and dolphins the same ethical considerations as humans. Now, you may ask, how good are human rights anyway? Not that great in many places of the world. But, never mind that right now, this is a question of ideology, to be enshrined in law. We’ll worry about who actually follows that law later. The idea is that, under domestic and international law, the Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans would guarantee rights for dolphins and whales…
Tags: cetaceans, dolphin, human, orca, rights, whale
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