Home/Posts Tagged ‘ARKive’
Posts Tagged ‘ARKive’
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
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Dec 10th, 2011,
Species: Mountain chicken (Leptodactylus fallax) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The oddly-named mountain chicken is so called because its meat is said to taste like chicken! The curious mountain chicken is one of the largest frogs in the world, with adult females growing up to a remarkable 21 centimetres in length. A sit-and-wait predator with a voracious appetite, this gluttonous frog consumes almost anything that can be swallowed whole. It is well camouflaged against its habitat and remains still for long periods of time, before ambushing its prey, usually at night. Its diet is highly varied, but it…
Tags: animal conservation, ARKive, critically endangered, endangered species, Leptodactylus fallax, Mountain chicken
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Dec 3rd, 2011,
Species: Trumpet-mouthed hunter snail (Gulella salpinx) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: The trumpet-mouthed hunter snail does not lay eggs but ‘gives birth’ to miniature juvenile snails! The rather flamboyant common name of the species refers to the flaring, trumpet-like opening of its distinctive shell. As a recently discovered species, relatively little is known about the trumpet-mouthed hunter snail’s biology. It is endemic to a single limestone outcrop of the Marble Delta in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The ‘hunter’ part of this species’ common name refers to its carnivorous habits, a behaviour that is common to the whole…
Tags: ARKive, ARKive.org, Conservation, endangered species, snails, Trumpet-mouthed hunter snail
Conservation, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Nov 15th, 2011,
Species: Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The numbat can eat around 20,000 termites a day. That’s 10% of its body weight! This small, carnivorous marsupial is an expert termite hunter. It spends its day in search of its favourite prey, walking with its nose to the ground, sniffing and turning over small pieces of wood in search of shallow underground termite galleries. It then collects the termites with its long, sticky tongue, which can grow to over 10 centimetres in length. At night, numbats shelter in hollow logs that are too narrow for its predators, such as foxes,…
Tags: animal conservation, ARKive, Conservation, endangered species, Myrmecobius fasciatus, Numbat
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Nov 5th, 2011,
Species: Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) Status: Critically Endangered (CR) Interesting Fact: Rhino horn is not made of bone, but keratin, the same substance that forms nails and hair. The prehistoric-looking Javan rhinoceros is one of the world’s rarest large mammals. This amazing species has a single horn and an armour-plated appearance caused by the deep folds of hairless skin. Little is known of this exceptionally rare mammal. It is mainly a browser of leaves, twigs, fruits and shoots and often breaks saplings down to access food. The rate of reproduction in this species is relatively slow; females give birth to…
Tags: ARKive, endangered species, Javan rhinoceros, rhinoceros concervation
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Oct 29th, 2011,
Species: Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The Hispaniolan solenodon is capable of secreting toxic saliva! The ancient and distinctive Hispaniolan solenodon is one of only two solenedons in existence. It resembles a large, stocky shrew, and has a distinctive, elongated snout with a unique ball-and-socket joint, which allows for an amazing level of flexibility. During the night, this species forages for prey using the flexible snout to explore cracks and crevices. It lunges at its chosen prey, pinning it down with its strong forelimbs, and then scoops up the prey with its lower jaw. A bite…
Tags: ARKive, Conservation, endangered species, Hispaniolan solenodon, solenodon paradoxus
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Oct 17th, 2011,
Species: Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The purple frog is the sole surviving member of an ancient group of amphibians that evolved some 130 million years ago! You may have noticed the purple frog on our homepage before, but this amazing amphibian is so strange we couldn’t help getting it out again! This frog has a highly distinctive and somewhat comical appearance, with a hugely bloated body and short, stout limbs. The small head seems almost too short for the body and the peculiar narrow snout ends in a white, knob-like protrusion. The purple frog is specially…
Tags: ARKive, endangered species, frog conservation, frogs, purple frog
Conservation, Nature, Weird Stuff, Wildlife & Flora, Oct 8th, 2011,
Species: Queen Alexandra’s birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: Queen Alexandra’s birdwing is the world’s largest species of butterfly With an enormous wingspan of up to 28 centimetres, Queen Alexandra’s birdwing deservedly has the title of the world’s largest butterfly. Vibrantly coloured, this magnificent butterfly feeds only from a single species of vine. The vine contains a toxic substance which, when consumed by the caterpillar, makes them distasteful to potential predators. This trait is advertised by the caterpillar’s bright, conspicuous colouration, but if consumed by a naive predator, the toxin may cause severe vomiting. The adult Queen Alexandra’s birdwing…
Tags: ARKive, Conservation, endangered species, Ornithoptera alexandrae, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
Nature, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 23rd, 2011,
Inspiring kids and adults alike to learn and take action in support of the thousands of threatened and endangered species on Earth can be a challenge in the mass communication society we live in today. However, coupling the power of technology with the world’s most beautiful and awe-inspiring images and films of these species seems to be a winning combination to do just that. ARKive, the Noah’s Ark of the Internet, is leading the “virtual” conservation movement by utilizing the worldwide web to create the online resource for images, films, sound recordings and biological fact files for the 17,000+ species…
Tags: ARKive, Conservation, Digital Ark, endangered species, Nature, wildlife
