Costa Rican Conservationists Seek To Prevent The Electrocution Of Howler Monkeys
The populations of all species of monkeys in the Central American nation of Costa Rica fell by 50% between 1995 and 2007, according to wildlife biologists working in that country. Most of the decline can be attributed to habitat loss, as the animals’ rainforest habitat has been destroyed due to human activity.
But Costa Rican conservationists have recently become concerned about yet another threat to the country’s population of black howler monkeys, as well as other primate species: uninsulated power lines and transformers that can kill or cripple them with powerful electric shocks.
The Ozark Hellbender Has Been Declared Endangered By the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Photo:USFWS
The Ozark Hellbender, America’s Largest Amphibian, Is Now Listed As Endangered
The Ozark hellbender, a salamander that grows to two feet in length and is the largest amphibian in North America, as well as one of the largest on earth, has been listed as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Native to the rivers and streams of the hilly Ozark region of Missouri and Arkansas, the creature has suffered from pollution, from habitat loss due to the damming of rivers, and from a serious fungal disease that had been killing frogs and other amphibians all over the world.
Plans for keeping the hellbender from going extinct include breeding them in captivity. Hellbenders can live for up to 30 years, and they do not reach sexual maturity until they are at least five years old.
The hellbender’s flattened shape makes it more streamlined for moving around in fast water. These huge salamanders spend most of the daylight hours hiding under rocks; at night they emerge and stalk crayfish as well as feeding upon one another’s eggs.
The World's Smallest Chameleon Has Been Found On Madagascar. Photos:Glaw, F., et al., PLoS ONE
New Species May Be The World’s Smallest Reptiles As Well As The Tiniest Chameleons
Scientists who explored tiny islands and other areas in northern Madagascar are reporting the discovery of four new species of dwarf chameleon, one of which approaches, or may even break, the record for being the world’s littlest reptile. At the very least, the diminutive species Brookesia micra, which appears to grow to a maximum length of 30 millimeters (1.18 inches) from snout to tail, is the smallest chameleon on earth.
The only reptile that may be slightly smaller—in reality, this reptile rivalry has yet to be resolved—is a dwarf gecko found in the British Virgin Islands. [click to continue…]
Elsewhere on this site, we have talked about how subjective Top 10 lists of Endangered animals always are. Hundreds, if not thousands of species qualify for inclusion; therefore, the animals that make any particular list invariably reflect the agenda, preoccupations, and prejudices of the people making the list. [click to continue…]
The Toucan Is One Of Many Millions Of Jungle Animals. Photo:Benjli
Animals Of The Jungle
In the Book of Genesis, Adam names all the birds and animals in Eden. However, if the biblical “first man” had lived in a jungle, or rainforest, instead, he would probably still be hard at work making his list of jungle animals. That’s because the millions of species of jungle plants and animals comprise about half of all life on earth—so many different species of insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mollusks, and mammals that scientists tell us only a fraction have yet been discovered. Of all the kinds of jungle animals, insects, in particular, are more likely than not to still be waiting for their naming by one of Adam’s descendants: While one million insect species currently are known to man, biologists say another 5 to 30 million may be awaiting discovery and description—and most of them live in the jungle.
So, with jungles, or rain forests, comprising only about 6 percent of the earth’s surface, how is it that they can contain so much life, compared with everywhere else? Part of the answer has to do with climate: Jungles are warm and wet, providing an ideal year-round environment for plant growth as well as for the activities of cold-blooded animals. But the other part has to do with fact that jungle habitat is not confined to the land area, in square kilometers, that is covered by rain forests; the complex, multi-dimensional structure of a rain forest provides jungle animals with abundant vertical “real estate” that allows them to expand their territories into the sky. [click to continue…]
Only A Few Thousand African Wild Dogs Remain, And The Species Is Listed As Endangered. Photo: Michael Gabler
What Do We Mean When We Say A Species Is Endangered?
The term “endangered species” is one that we frequently hear in the media as well as in everyday conversation. It could be said—and often is—that all species on earth are endangered because of the serious environmental challenges our planet faces. Some people even say that the human race is “endangered” because of the threat of widespread war, the possibility of a pandemic (a terrible disease outbreak) or a global famine, as well as every other conceivable serious problem that could result from living on a crowded, technology- and energy-dependent planet.
People who say such things may have some valid points. However, when conservationists use the word Endangered—note the capital E—they mean something very specific. They are talking about an animal or plant species that has been scientifically determined to be disappearing at a rate that is likely to result in its extinction in the near future. [click to continue…]
The ESA Saved The Bald Eagle—And Many Other Species. Photo: USFWS
The Endangered Species Act Is Our Most Important Piece Of Wildlife Legislation
If we did not have the U.S. Endangered species Act (ESA), America would be a much poorer nation. Without it, our national symbol, the bald eagle, would already be extinct. Also gone forever would be the the American alligator, the grizzly bear in the Lower 48 states, and the whooping crane, among a long list of others.
Deep concern for for the future of America’s wildlife began at the end of the 1800’s, with the the near-extinction of the buffalo and the looming extinction of passenger pigeon. The first federal laws protecting wildlife, including the Lacey Act of 1900, were passed at the turn of 20th century—however, they were far from strong enough to prevent an array of native wildlife from sliding toward becoming extinct. For just one example, by the 1940’s, ewer than 20 whooping cranes remained in the wild. [click to continue…]
The recent, credible announcement that an international team of scientists is planning to create a baby mammoth through cloning has inspired much speculation about the possibility of using the cloning process to save endangered species. Unfortunately, cloning is not the answer to the earth's problem of plummeting biodiversity. Not only will the process probably always be too expensive to create significant numbers of large wild animals, but the animals produced would end up being virtual carbon copies of one another, and therefore lacking in the genetic diversity necessary to sustain a population. As always, the way to conserve endangered species is to stop exploiting them, and to preserve their habitats.
Read more about cloning and endangered species.
Africa Loses A Wild Rhino A Day
A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) official tells us that poachers in South Africa appear to be on track to kill as many rhinoceroses as they killed in 2010—a year in which the country's parks and game preserves lost a record 333 rhinos to increasingly determined and well-equipped illegal hunters. Although the South African military has become involved in the effort to save rhinos, and some poachers have even died in firefights since the beginning of the year, the WWF official says the real key to bringing a halt to poaching is to end demand for rhino horn in China and elsewhere in Asia.
Read the complete article.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: The Eastern Cougar Is Extinct
After spending years reviewing hundreds of relatively recent reports of cougar sightings east of the Mississippi, as well as examining hair, scat samples, and even a few photographs, America's top wildlife agency has come to a firm conclusion: The Eastern mountain lion, or cougar, no longer exists. Although there have been a few verified cougar sightings in the eastern United States over the past several decades, the nation's top wildlife agency asserts that the cougars in question all were animals that had either escaped or been released from captivity, or were Western mountain lions that had wandered East. And example of the latter was a cougar that was shot in downtown Chicago several years ago. The complete story is available here.
Time Is Running Out For Tigers
As one of the world's most charismatic species, wild tigers recently have been attracting increasing amounts of attention and conservation funding. Celebrities such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio have become involved in trying to save tigers by speaking publicly about their plight, as well as by donating money. Unfortunately, owing to the fact that the skin, bones, and body parts from one tiger are worth tens of thousands of dollars on the Asian black market, the bright focus on the species has yet to slow its plunge toward extinction. There are now just around 3,000 wild tigers left in the world, down from perhaps 100,000 less than a century ago.
Read more about saving endangered tigers.
Biologist Hopes To Save Leopards With Fake Fur
South African leopard biologist Tristan Dickerson has entered the fashion world in an attempt to slow the poaching of leopards. Dickerson is trying to find a way to produce faux leopard skins that are convincing enough to satisfy the members of a native religious group that uses leopard-fur garments in its religious ceremonies and pageants. Currently, many male members of South Africa's four-million-strong Nazareth Baptist Church wear the real thing, thereby creating a market for the skins of illegally hunted leopards.
Read more about the quest for the perfect fake fur.
Dolphin-Safe Tuna: Some Disturbing Facts
Back in the 1980's, the tuna-fishing industry used fishing techniques that resulted in the deaths, as "by-catch," of tens of thousands of dolphins annually. Then, in the wake of a massive public awareness campaign, the industry changed its practices. As a result, the tuna industry now accidentally kills only a relative handful of sea mammals each year. Unfortunately, the most widely used "dolphin-safe" fishing methods have a serious drawback: Instead of killing dolphins, they kill vast numbers of fish other than the tunas that the fishermen are seeking. The sharks, rays, immature tunas and other species caught as by-catch are then discarded back into the ocean.
Read more about Dolphin-Safe Tuna.
New York Times Falls For Amazon Indians' Fish Story
They say that when you have a hammer in your hand, everything starts to look like a nail.
New York Times environmental reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal has written extensively about global climate change. So, when she discovered that a group of Indians in the southern part of the Brazilian Amazon were experiencing a steep decline in the numbers of river fish they were catching, Rosenthal immediately focused on climate change as the culprit.
But in viewing the problem through such a narrow lens, the reporter missed the big picture of changing environmental conditions in the upper Xingu River region, which is the fastest-growing corner of the Amazon. For one thing, she ignored the fact that around 10,000 small dams have been built on Xingu River tributaries over the last couple of decades—and that these dams undoubtedly have a major effect on fish populations.
Neither did the reporter quote any scientists on climate change and other factors that might be affecting the Upper Xingu as well as the Amazon at large. The researchers interviewed by All About Wildlife.com said she got a lot of things wrong.
But her most interesting mistake was to take the Indians at their word when they told her they were teetering on the edge of starvation. According to the American-born Brazilian rancher who accompanied the reporter to the Indians' village, the native people were for the most part just pulling her leg.
Read the entire article.
Monkeys Demonstrate Use Of 'Dental Floss' To Their Young
Wildlife researchers working in Thailand recently discovered that, not only do macaque monkeys use pieces of hair to floss their teeth, but they also demonstrate good oral hygiene technique to their youngsters. The scientists said that when youngsters approached an adult monkey that was using "floss" to clean its teeth, the adult would often slow down and exaggerate its flossing motions as if to show the younger primate how to do the job properly.
Read more about monkey flossing.
Where The Buffalo Will Roam
International conservationists are developing plans to restore American bison—popularly called "buffalo"—to significant portions of their former range on the US Great Plains.
Read more about Restoring Bison To America.
The "Good" Earthworm?
We tend to think of earthworms as being beneficial. However, most species that we now find in our yards and gardens are not native to America—they were brought here from Europe and Asia. This means that, not only have they displaced many American worm species, but they are capable of doing actual harm to some American ecosystems.
Read more about Alien Earthworms.
Outdoor Cats Pose a Major Environmental Threat
Habitat loss is clearly the main threat facing native birds in North America and elsewhere. In fact, some migrant species face shrinking habitat at both ends of their range: In North America, where they breed during the spring and summer, and it Central and South America, where they spend their winters.
But, among other problems birds must contend with, the problem of predatory house cats is also a serious one. According to estimates from some conservationists, in North America alone feral felines and pet cats that are allowed to roam outdoors kill around half a billion birds each year.
Read the entire article here.
Koalas Struggle To Survive As A Species
Australian wildlife researchers recently made a disturbing discovery: Their population estimates for the number of wild koalas were more than 20 percent higher than the number of the koalas that actually remain in the country's forests. Revised estimates now put the population of Australia's emblematic animal at no higher than 80,000, and perhaps fewer than 50,000. The main cause is habitat loss, but other problems include run-ins with automobiles and dogs, as well as apparent global-warming-induced changes in the koala's main food source.
Read more about koalas here.
One Third Of All Amphibian Species Are In Danger Of Extinction
Amphibians—including frogs and salamanders—are among the most imperiled species on the planet, according to conservationists. In fact, some scientists say that as many as a third of all amphibian species are in danger of going extinct. Along with many of the same environmental problems faced by other types of animals, amphibians are also threatened by a fast-spreading and fatal fungal disease.
More about the amphibian crisis here.
Climate Change Hits Arctic Species, Including Polar Bears and Walruses
Global climate change is affecting the Arctic and Antarctic more dramatically and more quickly than any other parts of the earth. In the case of the Arctic, in recent years there has been less ice in the oceans at the top of the world—and the change is bringing hardship to some of the species that depend on ice for their survival. Polar bears, for instance, hunt seals on the ocean ice; when ice is scarce, the bears find it difficult to find food. Walruses, for their part, raise their young on ice. They also travel on the ice, allowing it to carry them to constantly fresh foraging grounds. US wildlife officials are currently looking a ways of helping species that are suffering due to climatic changes in their once-frozen environment. Read more about global climate change and polar bears as well as more about how Pacific walruses are affected by global warming.
Don't Accessorize Your Life With Wildlife
With the possible exception of a few very common tropical fish species, it is almost never a good idea to turn a wild animal into a pet. Not only do wild animals simply belong in their own habitat, but collection for the pet trade is pushing many vulnerable species onto top 10 endangered species lists and closer to the brink of extinction in the wild.
In response to concerns by conservation organizations, the US Fish & Wildlife Service is currently considering giving Endangered Species Act protection to a number of non-US tropical bird species in order to prevent them from being imported into the country.
Read our full article about endangered species and the pet trade.
