Making A Difference for Endangered Animals

Black Rhino

2009-02-23T16:24:00.003+08:00

The word Rhinoceros comes from the Greek word rhino, meaning nose, and ceros, meaning horn. The Black Rhinoceros is the most well-known of the five living rhinoceros species. Like the White Rhinoceros, the Black Rhinoceros is brownish gray in color.

A main feature of the Black Rhinoceros is its prehensile lip; its lips look like a hook and work like fingers, grasping and pulling leaves and shrubs into its mouth. This huge animal can run fast at 40 miles per hour, almost as fast as a car on the highway! They look for food in the early morning and late afternoon; the rest of the day, they rest in the shade or go "swimming" in the water pools, coating their skin with mud for their "sunscreen" and to make biting flies avoid them.

There are two horns on the Black Rhinoceros; the front horn is the much larger one. Rhino horns grow as much as three inches a year and can grow up to 5 feet! Female rhinos use their horns to protect their babies, while male rhinos use their horns to fight off attackers.

In 1970, there were 70,000 Black Rhinos in the world. Today, there are only 3,600. This drastic fall in the Black Rhinoceros population is the main reason why this huge animal is a CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES. Some reasons why they are endangered:

1. Hunting - Poachers hunt the Black Rhinoceros for its horn. People in Asia use the horns for medicinal use, while people in North Africa and the Middle East want the horn material to make knife handles.

2. Habitat destruction -The Black Rhino lives in open grasslands and plains. As the people move into these places and develop them for homes and buildings, the White Rhino is left with smaller and smaller places to live.

Black Rhino Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Diceros Bicornis
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 11 to 13.75 feet
Weight: 3,168 to 7,920 pounds
Range: Africa, India, Southeast Asia
Diet: Watergrass and leaves

To make a Black Rhinoceros Paper Model, click on the image or here.

The Siberian Tiger

2009-02-22T19:40:00.004+08:00

The Siberian Tiger is the world's largest cat. Other names for this feline are Amur Tiger, Manchurian Tiger and Ussuri Tiger. Local people think of the Siberian Tiger as almost God-like and refer to it as "Grandfather" or "Old Man" with respect. Even the most elite unit of the Chinese Imperial Army in the Manchu Qing Dynasty is called Hu Shen Yin, meaning "The Tiger God Army".

Among the tiger subspecies, the Siberian Tiger is the larges, with male Siberian Tigers as long as a stationwagon! The Siberian Tiger has the palest orange coat and the fewest stripes. Each tiger has its own stripe pattern, just the way humans have fingerprints. Researchers can identify individual tigers by their unique stripes.

Tigers are very patient, following their prey for 20 to 30 minutes before pouncing. They used their powerful jaws to grab a prey by the neck to suffocate it. Tigers' rough tongues are used to scrape of the last bits of meat from the bones of the meal. Tigers rely on their colors as camouflage; their black stripes provide the perfect cover while they wait for prey in the tall grass.

Despite the fact that the Siberian Tiger (and other tigers) is a symbol of strenth and courage and are admired, there are only 450 Siberian Tigers left on the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES list. Most of these large cats are already in zoos and are protected. The Siberian Tiger is not that difficult to breed in captivity; it is when they are released in the wild that they are not able to survive. Some reasons for the endangered classification of the Siberian Tiger include:

1. Hunting - The Siberia Tiger is hunted mainly for sport. Others hunt it so that the tiger will not attack a village or livestock. Tiger parts are also valued for the medicines made out of them. Trade in tiger skin is also increasing.

2. Habitat loss - As land becomes developed to meet the demand for houses and other buildings, the environment of the Siberian Tiger shrinks as well. This includes natural prey species that the tiger hunts. With the presence of more people, even the tigers' meals are being hunted.

Siberian Tiger Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Panthera Tigris Altaica
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 10.75 feet long
Weight: 660 pounds
Range: Russia, China, North Korea
Diet: red deer, boar, hare, rabbit, fish, bears

To make your own zoo habitat for the Siberian Tiger, click on the image or here.

The Florida Panther

2009-02-21T19:39:00.001+08:00

The Florida Panther is a subspecies of the mountain lion. It is the state animal of the state of Florida and is one of the most endangered animals on earth. Other names for the panther include mountain lion, cougar, puma, painter and catamount.

This slender wild cat is powerfully built and very agile, as most felines are. They are tawny brown in color, have long bodies and unusually long back legs. These back legs give the panther the ability to have bursts of high-speed running and jumping, used to kill its prey. The Florida has a long neck, a small broad head and a long cylindrical tail with a black tip.

The Florida Panther is a habitat generalist - which means that it lives in a variety of habitats like forests, prairies and swamps. They like to be alone and will travel hundreds of miles within their home range. This characteristic requires a minimum space of 200 square miles (75 square miles for females) for the Florida Panther. That's a lot of space!

A long time ago, the panther could easily be found all over the eastern United States. Now, there are only 30 to 50 panthers left, all found in Florida or a state park or a zoo. With these numbers, the Florida Panther is on the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES list of animals due to the following:

1. Habitat loss - This is mainly due to the developing that people do. The Florida Panther's environment is lost because trees are cut down, land is taken away for home and buildings or for farming.

2. Collision with vehicles - As the Florida Panther roams the land in search for food or mates, it has to cross roads and highways, which are always deadly for the animal. Conservationist groups have been working to put up more Wildlife Crossing areas to make it safer for the panthers and other wildlife to cross safely under roads and highways.

3. Territorial disputes between panthers - Although this is normal behavior between male panthers, this has increased because habitat loss makes territorial areas for each male Florida Panther smaller and smaller.

4. Poisoning - Environmental toxins find themselves in the Florida Panther, which are fatal. From the pollution that people produce which goes in the air, it goes into the swamps and rivers of the environment and is absorbed. The animals that eat and drink from these places also absorb the poison. And the Florida Panther, at the top of the food chain, eats these same animals that have absorbed the toxins.

Florida Panther Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Puma Concolor Coryi
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 3.25 to 5.25 feet
Weight: 132 pounds
Range: Florida, USA
Diet: white deer, rabbit, racoon, armadillo, birds

To answer a crossword puzzle about the Florida Panther, click on the image or here.

Short-Eared Owl

2009-02-21T16:22:00.003+08:00

When we think of owls, we think of them as nocturnal, coming out at night. The Short-Eared Owl, however, also flies during the day ("diurnal") and is the most diurnal of all the owls. They are mostly seen in the late afternoon and at dawn. When it flies, the Short-Eared Owl flies like a moth or like a bat, flying low over grasslands or marshes, flying back and forth with slow, irregular wingbeats.

Short-Eared Owls are medium-sized owls with small ear tufts that look like two short ears sticking out of its head. The Long-Eared Owl has ear tufts almost three times as long. The Short-Eared Owl usually lets these ear tufts lie flat on its head, giving it the appearance of being bald. When it is surprised or scared or on the defensive, the ear tufts stand straight up.

The Short-Eared Owl has large eyes, a big head, a short neck and wide wings. Feathers are brown and the upper breast is streaked. Females of the species are slightly bigger than the males. The yellow orange eyes are emphasized by black circles around each eye and its white face.

This Owl hunts frequently throughout the day, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. It flies between one to ten feet above the ground, will hover above its prey for a few seconds before pouncing on its meal. The Short-Eared Owl uses its excellent hearing to locate prey. It feeds on small rodents, insects, and small birds.

Despite the fact that the Short-Eared Owl is present in most continents, its rate of decline has alarmed researchers. These birds have decreased in numbers from 3.5% to as much as 11.5% each year. This is a main reason why the Short-Eared Owl had been listed as VULNERABLE worldwide, but is a STATE-ENDANGERED SPECIES in the northeastern United States. Some reasons for the fast decline in numbers include:

1. Loss of habitat - The large, open and undisturbed areas where the Short-Eared Owls breed are being replaced by homes and buildings.

2. Pesticides - The presence of pesticides in the Short-Eared Owl's prey may cause harm to the bird.

Short-Eared Owl Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Asio Flammeus
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 13 to 17 inches
Weight: 7.27 to 16.77 ounces
Range: Most continents
Diet: Small rodents, insects, and small birds

To make Rock Owl Paperweights, click on the image or here.

Tiger Salamander

2009-02-20T16:20:00.005+08:00

The word "salamander" is a name for amphibians that have tails when they are adults. Most animals in the salamander order look like a mixture of frog and lizard. They have the wet, smooth skin of frogs, and a long tail like lizards. Other names for a salamander include olm, axoloti, spring lizard, water dog, mud puppy, hellbender, triton, and congo eel.

The Tiger Salamander has the stripe pattern of their mammalian namesake. The Tiger Salamander is usually brown or greenish or gray in color and has yellow stripes or yellow dots or dark brown splotches throughout its body. Some have no markings at all.

The Tiger Salamander is the largest land-dwelling salamander on earth. They have thick bodies with short snouts, sturdy legs and long tails. They live in burrows (deep holes) up to two feet below the surface. They go out of their burrows at night to hunt for worms, insects, frogs and even other salamanders.

This amphibian is listed as Least Concern in the endangered species list because researchers have a hard time recording numbers for the Tiger Salamander since they spend a lot of time in their burrows underground. However, Least Concern is a a step before Near Threatened, so if people started early enough, the Tiger Salamander MAY be kept off the endangered list altogether! Some threats to the life of the Tiger Salamander include:

1. Predatory fish - The Tiger Salamander cannot live with predatory fish in its environment. Bass, catfish and other such species pose to threat to the Tiger Salamander, who is small enough to be eaten by these fish.

2. Bait - Tiger Salamanders, when caught, are used as bait to catch other fish.

3. Loss of habitat - Deforestation and loss of wetland areas, places where the Tiger Salamander lives. The decrease in the area of these places means that the Tiger Salamander also has less places to live and survive in.

4. Vehicles - As the Tiger Salamander scurries from place to place in search of food, it crosses roads and highways, proof of how people are getting closer to the living places of all animals and their environment. The chances of the amphibians being run over by vehicles increase as more and more people take over the land.

5. Pollution - People not only take the lands from animals, the presence of people alone means more pollution in the ponds and other habitats of the animals. Polluting the area poses a threat to the Tiger Salamander (and other animals in the area) because it can eat or be killed by pollutants in the air and water.

Tiger Salamander Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Ambystoma Tigrinum
Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 7 to 14 inches
Weight: 4.4 ounces
Range: North America
Diet: worms, insects, frogs, other salamanders

To make a 3-D paper model of a Salamander, click on the image or here.

The Giant Ibis

2009-02-18T21:38:00.004+08:00

The Giant Ibis, a wading bird, is found in northern Cambodia and southern Laos in Asia. This huge bird has a large, curved bill and makes a loud ringing call which sounds like "a-leurk-a-leurk".

The adult Giant Ibis is dark with a bald head and neck. There are dark bands across the back of the head and shoulders and the pale wings have black bars across them. Younger Giant Ibises have short black feathers on the back of the head down to the neck. Bills are shorter and their eyes are brown.

The Giant Ibis has official protection from conservationists in both Laos and Cambodia. Both countries are campaigning to reduce the hunting of these large water birds; the Giant Ibis is being displayed on banners and other materials to make the public more aware about this almost-extinct bird.

With only 250 birds in the world, the Giant Ibis is a CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES. With so few birds, there are no current research projects that focus on the Giant Ibis. Some reasons that are known to have caused them to be on the endangered list:

1. Habitat loss - Continued trade in logging from Cambodia and Laos cause the deforestation of the natural environments of the Giant Ibis.

2. Hunting - The public, who are not aware of the importance and rarity of the Giant Ibis, continue to hunt the bird for sport and for trophy. There are steps being taken to control gun and rifle ownership.

Giant Ibis Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Thaumatibis Gigantea
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 40 to 42 inches
Weight: 9 pounds
Range: Cambodia, Laos
Diet: locusts, seeds, crustaceans, small reptiles

To make an origami of the Ibis, click on the image or here.

Philippine Tarsier

2009-02-18T16:18:00.004+08:00

Known locally as the Maumag in Cebuano, the Philippine Tarsier is found in the southern part of the Philippines, in the islands of Bohol, Samar, Letye and Mindanao. The name of the tarsier is taken from the animals "tarsus", or ankle bone.

When you look at the Philippine Tarsier, all you'll see mostly is its eyes. It has the biggest eyes relative to their body weight of any mammal! Its eyes are fixed in its skull; they cannot turn in their sockets. To look around, the Philippine Tarsier must turn its head, up to 180 degrees! The Tarsier's huge eyes does provide it with excellent night vision, which allows it to hunt at night.

The Philippine Tarsier has wavy brownish gray fur with a silky texture. The powerful and long legs, whcih are twice as long as its body), are useful for leaping from tree to tree. It has fingers, with flattened nails and claws used for grooming. There are pads on the Philippine Tarsier's fingers and toes to help them cling to branches. The Tarsier spends its day hiding in trees and brances and only come out at night to hunt for food.

Numbering less than 1,000 animals, the Philippine Tarsier is an ENDANGERED SPECIES. Concentrated in a small area of the world, we want to be able to keep this animal, with links to a 45 million year history in the rainforests of the world, healthy and living in large numbers. As with all endangered animals, there are several reasons for their enviornmental status:

1. Habitat loss - The destruction of the natural resources in the Philippines, most especially deorestation and logging will affect these small primates. As more and more people demand space for homes and buildings, the Philippine Tarsier's environment will continue to shrink.

2. Petting - Because of their size, the Philippine Tarsier has been reported to be kept as pets. This is dangerous, since keeping a Tarsier as a pet, they may spread worms and other parasites to their human owners.

Philippine Tarsier Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Tarsius Syrichta
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 3.8 to 5.2 inches
Weight: 2 to 5.4 ounces
Range: Philippine islands of Bohol, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao
Diet: insects, worms, lizards

To answer an online quiz on the Philippine Tarsier, click on the image or here.

The Sea Otter

2009-02-17T19:37:00.005+08:00

The Sea Otter is the heaviest member of the weasel family. It is also among the smallest marine mammal. It is the only marine mammal that does not have blubber (layer of fat) to keep it warm. Instead, its very thick, dense fur traps warm air close to the body to keep the Sea Otter from feeling cold! How dense is this Sea Otter fur? Try fitting 100,000 strands of hair on the size of a postage stamp!

Another unusual thing about the Sea Otter is that it has flexible fingers and can grab prey with their paws! The are often seen with a clam and a rock in their paws; with the rock against their chest, they smash the shellfish into it until it breaks open. Other food that the Sea Otter loves are seq urchins crabs, squid, octopus and fish.

After a meal, the Sea Otter cleans itself by washing themselves in the ocean, cleaning their coat with its teeth and paws. Cleaning its coat ensures that the coat remains waterproof and will provide the insulation against the cold air and water.

The Sea Otter is one animal that truly adapts to its environment. Its nostrils and small ear can close when it dives in the water. Its hind feet are long, broad and fully webbed, allowing the Sea Otter to swim strongly in the water. The tail is short, thick, flat and muscular. This helps the Sea Otter in its swimming as well. The front paws are short with claws that appear when the Sea Otter grabs its prey. Its highly sensitive whiskers and front paws help find prey by touch when the water is dark or murky.

The Sea Otter is an ENDANGERED SPECIES, with only 5,000 Sea Otters left in the world. They used to number anywhere from 100,000 to 137,000 in the 1980s. But several things have happened to cause their numbers to dwindle:

1. Oil spills - This is the most significant threat to the Sea Otter. When oil spills in the ocean and soaks the Sea Otter's dense fur, the fur loses its ability to retain air, and the Sea Otter quickly dies from hypothermia.

2. Diseases - Toxoplasma gondii infection and acanthocephalan parasite infection are major causes of Sea Otter deaths. These parasites come from cat poop dropped and flushed into the ocean from the sewage systems. These parasites are fatal to the Sea Otter.

3. Reduction of food - As the world population grows, the need for food grows as well. People take more and more food from the ocean, and this includes the food of the Sea Otter.

Sea Otter Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Enhydra Lutris
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 4 feet
Weight: 65 pounds
Range: Pacific Ocean
Diet: fish, clams, snails, crabs, sea urchins

To solve a jigsaw puzzle of an otter, click on the image or here.

The Komodo Dragon

2009-02-16T21:18:00.006+08:00

The Komodo Dragon is the King of the Lizard species. It is the biggest and heaviest living lizard in the world. They have long flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs and huge muscular tails. The yellow color of the Komodo Dragon's forked tongue reminds people of dragons from fairy tales!

Although most lizards are omnivores, the Komodo Dragon is a dedicated meat eater. They want meat and will use their long tongues to smell the air if a meal is nearby. The Komodo is not a picky eater, it will kill and eat wild pigs, deer, buffalo, even snake and fish that wash up on shore. Smaller dragons and humans have also been eaten by the Komodo Dragon.

The Komodo Dragon will follow a prey who has been bitten by his sharp teeth. Dragon saliva has over 50 different kinds of bacteria that will eat and kill the prey, and the Komodo Dragon will slowly follow his meal for miles. It can eat an amazing 80 percent of its body weight (that's 264 pounds!!!) in a single meal!!!

The Komodo Dragon is an ENDANGERED SPECIES. There are only 3,000 to 5,000 Komodo Dragons in the islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca and Flores. Here are some reasons why this gigantic lizard is endangered:

1. Few female dragons - There are only 350 female dragons who can lay eggs. Studies are being done to find out why the majority of new dragons being born are male.

2. Natural disasters - Volcanic activity, earthquakes and fire have all been causes of several deaths of the Komodo Dragon.

3. Poaching - Many years ago, the Komodo Dragon was killed "for fun" and for displaying on the walls of the hunters. Scientists were also responsible for having Komodo Dragons taken from their environment so that they could be studied.

4. Human disturbance - People disturb the natural habitat of the Komodo Dragons and hunt the smae food that dragons need to survive.

Komodo Dragon Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Varanus Komodoensis
Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 10 feet
Weight: 330 pounds
Range: islands of Indonesia
Diet: meat, meat and more meat!

To solve a jigsaw puzzle of the Komodo Dragon, click on the image or here.

The Mountain Gorilla

2009-02-16T19:36:00.001+08:00

The gorilla is the largest of all primates. It is a peaceful, family-oriented, plant-eating animal. Older, adult male gorillas are also called Silverbacks, because of the almost-silver colored fur that grows down their backs when they reach "maturity" at 13 years old. Gorillas are intelligent animals and have even learned simple human sign language in captivity!

The Mountain Gorilla has longer and darker hair than any other gorilla species. It is also the largest of all gorillas. Although it can climb trees, the Mountain Gorilla likes to be on the ground and lives with a troop of 30 other gorillas. If humans have fingerprints, then gorillas have nose prints; it is said that no two gorilla noses are alike! In fact, researches have photographed gorillas' noses while in the wild to help them identify individual gorillas!

Gorillas LOVE to eat. It's their favorite activity. A male gorilla can eat as much as 75 pounds of vegetation a day, while a female can eat as much as 40 pounds a day. Gorillas need this amount of food to help them move their huge size.

For unknown reasons, the Mountain Gorilla is naturally afraid of certain reptiles. They are also afraid of water and will cross streams only if they can do so without getting wet.

A CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES, there are only 700 Mountain Gorillas left in the world. Some reasons for their few numbers:

1. Hunting/Poaching - Mountain Gorillas have been killed for their heads, hands and feet, which are sold to collectors. Infant gorillas are captured and sold to zoos, researchers and people who want them as pets!

2. Habitat loss - People's need for more land and food means lesser trees and lesser land for the Mountain Gorilla to live in.

3. Disease - Humans and gorillas are similar enough that gorillas can also get the same diseases as humans, especially in places where tourists visit the gorillas in their natural habitat.

4. War and civil unrest - In central Africa, many wars and civil unrest put the Mountain Gorilla directly in the middle of both sides.

Mountain Gorilla Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Gorilla Bteringei Beringei
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 4 to 6 feet
Weight: 300 to 485 pounds
Range: Uganda, Congo, Rwanda
Diet: roots, shoots, fruits, pulp, tree bark

To make an origami model of the Mountain Gorilla, click here or here.

The Snow Leopard

2009-02-15T19:35:00.002+08:00

Snow Leopards are rarely seen in the wild because they live in very high mountains. Their shyness and amazing ability to disappear among the snow and rocks (i.e., their coloring provides perfect camouflage for their surroundings) gives them a legendary reputation. Local stories in many countries describe the Snow Leopards as shape-changing sprites/fairies or "ghost cats".

The Snow Leopard has thick very thick fur. Its wide feet, covered in fur as well, act as natural snowshoes. It has powerful legs and can leap as far as 50 feet! These legs are used to travel between cliffs and across ravines. The Snow Leopard uses its tail for balance and as a blanket against the cold mountain air.

This white feline feeds on whatever is available in its surroundings. It prefers blue sheep and ibex, but will eat smaller animals like game birds, marmots and rodents. It will even turn to livestock if it is very hungry. The Snow Leopard prefers to kill its meal from above, using its powerful legs to leap down (and across) when needed. It can bring down an animal up to three times its weight!

The Snow Leopard is on the ENDANGERED SPECIES list. There are only 6,000 Snow Leopards left in the world. Some reasons why this beautiful cat is endangered:

1. Hunting - The Snow Leopard is hunted for its rare and beautiful coat of fur. Its body parts are also valued for traditional Chinese medicine.

2. Taste for domestic animals - This occurs mostly during the winter, when most mammal prey hibernate. The Snow Leopard will venture into areas where herders have their livestock to eat. To protect their livestock, herders need to kill the Snow Leopard.

3. Vanishing habitat - As populations grow, the natural habitats of animals are reduced. With less and less places to live and hunt, the Snow Leopard may be in danger of becoming extinct.

Snow Leopard Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Panthera Uncia
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 4 to 5 feet
Weight: 60 to 120 pounds
Range: Central Asia
Diet: blue sheep, boar, marmot, ibex, rodents

Here's a video from the Snow Leopard Trust, taken from YouTube:

Black Tern

2009-02-15T16:16:00.004+08:00

Humans approaching the nest of a Black Tern may come with a serious headache because these birds have been known to attack humans that come too close. Technically, a "tern" is a seagull, but the Black Tern lives in marshy areas instead of by the ocean; it is a marsh tern.

The Black Tern is a small dark bird. It has short legs and a short bill, which is almost as long as its head. The Black Tern has a dark gray back, with a white forehead. Black head, black neck and belly....it's the only color of this bird, along with a few shades of white and gray. No wonder it's the "Black" Tern!

The Black Tern flies around North America. While flying, it will swoop down when it spies a tasty meal of insects and fish, frogs and tadpoles, earthworms and small crustaceans. It will also catch insects while flying.

Although the Black Tern is not on the world endangered list, it IS on the ENDANGERED SPECIES list of the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Maine, United States. From a population of hundreds of thousands in North America, the Black Tern's numbers have decreased significantly in the last 40 years, some say to only a mere third of what it once was. Some reasons for this decrease:

1. Raiding of nests - Tern eggs and chicks are being killed by herons, raccoons and other animals in all stages of the marsh ecosystem.

2. Flooding - Rising water levels carry away Black Tern nests in the marshes.

3. Pesticides - Insects, a main food of the Black Tern, absorb pesticides from the air. When the Black Tern eats the insects and fish from the water, it is putting pesticides in its body as well, which will harm the bird.

Black Tern Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Chlidonias Niger
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 9 to 10 inches
Weight: 50 to 60 grams
Range: North America
Diet: insects, frogs, fish, tadpoles, earthworms, crustaceans

To make an origami of a flapping bird, click on the image or here.

The Koala

2009-02-15T15:29:00.002+08:00

Often called a "Koala Bear", Koalas aren't bears at all. They are marsupials, a group of animals with pouches like a kangaroo. In fact, a baby Koala is called a Joey, just like a baby kangaroo. The scientific name of the Koala's genus is Phascolarctos, from the Greek phaskolos meaning pouch, and arktos meaning bear. People referred to the Koala as a bear so that others who didn't know what a Koala looked like would have some vision of the animal.

Koalas do look like Teddy bears, all cute and cuddly. They have sharp claws on their hands and feet. Koalas' hands have five fingers each, including two thumbs, which let the Koala grip tree trunks as it clumbs up. They have ridged skin on the bottom of its feet to give them traction for climbing. Strong muscles help the Koala climb 150 feet to the tope of a tree, and allows it to jump from treetop to treetop.

The Koala eats only the leaves of the eucalyptus tree. The leaves are poisonous to most animals, but Koalas have special bacteria in their stomachs that allow them to digest the leaves. They sleep as much as 18-20 hours during the day and wake up at night to go up the trees to eat.

In the early 20th century, the Koala was hunted for its fur almost to extinction. With the public made more aware of the importance of the Koala as one of the symbols of Australia, the number of Koala have slowly increased. Today, they are put on the THREATENED SPECIES list. This does not mean that the Koala is safe from harm. There are always threats to the survival of the Koala:

1. Habitat loss - Koalas need a lot of space, about 100 trees per animal, and a healthy connected forest for food. A Koala will tavel long distances to look for food and for a mate. As the land gets smaller and smaller, the Koala's environment is threatened.

2. Presence of people and civilization - The most common reason for Koala deaths are from cars and dogs. As people take over the Koala's habitat, there will be more cars and more pets that may harm the Koala, even if by accident.

Koala Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Phascolarctos Cinereus
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 2 to 2.8 feet
Weight: 20 pounds
Range: Eastern Australia
Diet: Eucalytpus leaves

To make an origami of the Asian Tapir, click on the image or here.

The Red Wolf

2009-02-14T19:33:00.004+08:00

Wolves are the largest members of the dog family. Although we know from our fairy tales that wolves are villains (think of The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf), wolves aren't really that big or bad. Wolves are natural predators that hunt and eat other animals; it doesn't matter that they are from the dog family, they must never be treated as pets. They are wild animals. This is their nature.

The Red Wolf is unusual because this species actually became extinct in the wild in 1980. It was the top predator in the Southeastern United States. Hunting and the clearing of the forests where the Red Wolf roamed reduced the entire population of the animal to just 17 wolves in 1980!
The Red Wolf has a brownish, cinnamon-colored fur with black and gray on the back and tail. Its muzzle has white fur around the lips. Their ears are larger in size than regular wolves. Their jaws are powerful, which can bite through most animal hides. The Red Wolf usually hunts at night, dawn or dusk in a pack, a group of 20 or so wolves. It is almost exclusively a meat-eater, feasting on deer, sheep, goats, rabbits and rodents. Unlike the Gray Wolf, the Red Wolf has not been recorded to attack people.A Red Wolf will travel up to 20 miles to search for food.

Once practically extinct, the Red Wolf has been put on the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES list. Thanks to scientists and conservationists who believed in the importance of bringing back and nurturing back the Red Wolf, there are thought to be some 300 Red Wolves in the world, with most of them in captivity.

Some new threats to the Red Wolf species include:

1. Presence of coyotes - Interbreeding with coyotes threaten the Red Wolf recovery program. Conservationists want to keep the Red Wolf line as pure as possible, but they have noticed that coyotes appear when there is a Red Wolf population in a place, no matter how small.

2. Diseases from domestic dogs - When the recovery program attempted to start a second breeding program, the Red Wolf pups often picked up diseases normally seen in pet dogs. Adult wolves also started moving away from the protected areas.

3. Loss of habitat - Forests and hills where the Red Wolf roams has been getting fewer and fewer as more people begin to demand more space. Only a few protected habitat for the Red Wolf remain.

4. Public perception of wolves - This has been the hardest to change, according to the conservationists. People would hear the word "wolf" and they begin to imagine all sorts of bad things happening, which has not been good for the Red Wolf recovery program at all.

More information on the Red Wolf Recovery Program can be found here.

Red Wolf Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Canis Rufus
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 3 to 5.25 feet
Weight: 40 to 175 pounds
Range: Southeastern United States
Diet: Goats, sheep, deer, rats, rabbits

To solve a jigsaw puzzle of a wolf, click on the image or here.

The Bald Eagle

2009-02-14T18:09:00.008+08:00

The Bald Eagle is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. Because it is protected, people who shoot or harm this national bird will be put in jail. The Bald Eagle is not really bald; it has very white feathers on its head, making it look like it has no hair/feathers at all! The term "bald" may have come from the Old English word, balde, which meant white.

The favorite food of the Bald Eagle is fish. And this bird is an expert fisher. A Bald Eagle has spiny scales and sharp talons on their toes for gripping the slippery fish straight from the water. A powerful beak, in the shape of a hook, helps the eagle eat its food. When there are few fish, the Bald Eagle will hunt rabbits, squirrels, other birds and young deer.

Bald Eagles have very sharp eyes and can see four to seven times better than humans! But the eagle's eyes can't move from side to side like we do; it has to turn turn its head to be able to look around. When a Bald Eagle loses a feather on one wing, it will also lose a feather on the other wing. Why? So that it won't lose its balance!

The Bald Eagle was put on the Endangered Species list a few years ago. But because of the effort put in by the US Government, the population of this bird has increased, putting its classification status as a VULNERABLE SPECIES. This doesn't mean that we have to stop our efforts in helping this bird survive. There are still things that can further endanger the Bald Eagle.

1. Hunting - The Bald Eagle was hunted for "fun", and to put their heads and bodies on display as trophies. With government protecting these birds, hunting has almost stopped, giving the Bald Eagles the chance to have more babies.

2. Pesticides - These chemicals, used by farmers to protect their crops from insects, pollute the air and the water. The fish in the water would eat the pesticide, and the eagle would eat the fish. Although the pesticide doesn't harm the adult eagle, it makes them unable to lay healthy eggs, or would produce very soft eggs, that the eagle couldn't sit on it to make it hatch.

3. Habitat destruction - Bald Eagles need lots of trees in their environment. When more and more people use more and more paper and cut down trees to make houses and other buildings, they are destroying the places where the Bald Eagle lives.

Bald Eagle Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Haliaeetus Leucocephalus
Type: Bird
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 34 to 43 inches
Wingspan: 6 to 8 feet
Weight: 6.5 to 14 pounds
Range: North America
Diet: Fish, rabbits, dead animals

To solve a scrambler puzzle of the Bald Eagle, click on the image or here.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

2009-02-14T16:15:00.003+08:00

The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the largest among the turtles, with its shell up to 8 feet long! It is also the heaviest among the turtles, weighing as much as 1,800 pounds! The Leatherback Sea Turtle is also the fastest, swimming as fast as 22 miles per hour! This huge turtle is a daredevil, too: it eats jellyfish, even the poisonous ones!

The Leatherback Turtle's shell is very different from other turtle shells. While other turtles have a hard protective shell, the Leatherback Turtle has a shell covered with a leathery skin supported by tiny bones. This allows the Leatherback Turtle to dive up to 3,000 feet below the ocean surface. A regular turtle would be crushed from the water pressure if it went this deep.

The Leatherback Sea Turtle is dark in color with white and pink spots. It has a large, flat, round body with two pairs of very large flippers, and a short tail. Once born, Leatherback males never leave the water once they enter it. Female Leatherbacks crawl on land to nest and lay eggs.

Leatherback Sea Turtles are among the most endangered animals on earth. With 35,000 turtles left in the world, this number is fast declining. On the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES list, these largest reptile needs to be saved, and saved now. Some reasons for their endangered status:

1. Raiding of nests - Some people collect turtle eggs for food and other reasons. An average of only ONE Sea Turtle lives for every 1,000 eggs!

2. Plastics and pollution - Pollution in the waters and on the beaches, especially plastic, are a main reason why Sea Turtles die. The turtles mistake the plastic for jellyfish, their food, and they eat the plastic, causing the plastic to choke them.

3. Habitat loss - Noise and activity on the beaches, where the Leatherback Sea Turtle nests, causes the hatchlings to crawl away from the ocean, leading to their deaths. More people on the beaches also take away from beach space that the Leatherback needs to make a nest.

4. Accidental capture - Fishing gear like nets and explosives cause much harm to the Sea Turtle population.

5. Hunting - Sea Turtles are hunted for their meat and shells, used to make combs, eyeglass frames and other products.

Leatherback Sea Turtle Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Dermochelys Coriacea
Type: Reptile
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 6 feet long
Weight: 600 to 1, 800 pounds
Range: Oceans of the world
Diet: Jellyfish and soft-bodied animals

To make your own Sea Turtle puppet/marionette, click on the image or here.

Starting the Project: RAEGAN

2009-02-13T21:20:00.005+08:00

Raegan finally joined the group as she started researching on her list of endangered animals. She narrowed it down to the following:

Snow Leopard
Siberian Tiger
Sea Otter
Giant Ibis
Mountain Gorilla
Florida Panther
Red Wolf

Some changes Raegan wanted for the blog include:

framing the drawings
blogwear - theme appropriate "skins" for the blog

The Polar Bear

2009-02-12T21:08:00.006+08:00

The Polar Bear looks like a cute stuffed animal from afar, but we need to be careful of this wild animal. It is the largest carnivore on land, and shares the title of largest predator with the Kodiak Bear. The Polar Bear is also one of the fewest all-white animals on Earth. Only its eyes, nose and lips are black. Under all that thick, furry snowy-white fur, the Polar Bear's skin is also black; we just can't see it.

Polar Bears live in some of the coldest places on Earth: where there are snow and ice, Polar Bears are sure to be there. They are also strong swimmers; they use their large front paws, which are webbed like the fins we use on our feet when we snorkel. Although the Polar Bear lives in very very cold temperatures (sometimes as low as -30 degrees!), they have ways to stay warm:

1. Fur - The Polar Bear's thick fur is protected by an outer coat of guard hairs (longer, stiffer hair that grows through the fur of a mammal's coat). This second coat of hairs stick together when the Polar Bear gets wet, giving the animal a waterproof covering! Even the Polar Bear's huge paws are covered with its thick white fur to provide warmth and allows the Polar Bear to grip the ice and snow firmly.

2. Blubber - This is a very thick layer of fat that Polar Bears have to keep warm. The blubber is underneath their thick fur. Sometimes Polar Bears get too hot (with the combination of the blubber and fur) that they swim in the cold water to cool off! Blubber also provides a food reserve if the Polar Bears aren't able to hunt.

3. Winter Sleep -Although Polar Bears don't hibernate, they drift off into a deep sleep where their body functions slow down. This winter sleep helps them fight off the cold air around them.

Polar Bears' favorite food is the seal, especially its blubber. Polar Bears wait above the ice hole for a seal to come up for air, and then it strikes, biting and crushing the skull of the seal. Other foods the Polar Bear eats are walruses and small whales.

The Polar Bear is not classified as an Endangered Species. Yet. Its official classification is VULNERABLE SPECIES, a step before being Endangered. Scientists estimate that there are only 20,000 Polar Bears left in the world, and their number is decreasing. Some reasons for this decrease, and why they are being classified as a Vulnerable Species:

1. Global Warming - Ice sheets are melting and cold areas are becoming warmer. Polar Bears use the floating sheets of ice to travel from place to place and to hunt for food. If the number of ice sheets decrease, Polar Bears may be stuck in one place for too long a period of time, and there may not be enough food for all of them.

2. Shrinking Environment - The natural habitat of the Polar Bears seem to be getting smaller as more and more people look for places to live.

3. Hunting - People hunt the Polar Bear for several reasons. Fur for pants and footwear in cold places. People eat the bear's meat, and fat is used for food and as fuel for lighting and warming homes. Tendons are used for sewing clothes, and the gallbladder and heart of the Polar Bear are dried and powdered for medicines. The large teeth are also being used as lucky charms (talismans).

4. Pollution - Pesticides can easily poison the Polar Bear. Oil spills and gas spills, especially in the Arctic area, will pollute the environment of the Polar Bear and may kill them, reducing their already decreasing number.

Polar Bear Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Ursus Maritimus
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 7.5 to 8 feet
Weight: 900 to 1,600 pounds
Range: the Arctic, Russia, North America
Diet: Seal, walrus, whales

To solve a jigsaw puzzle of the Polar Bear, click on the image or here.

Sperm Whale

2009-02-12T14:15:00.007+08:00

Remember Moby Dick? He was a Sperm Whale. The Sperm Whale is the largest of the toothed whales. It has the largest brain of any living animal. Sperm Whales have a huge head, almost a third of its entire body length. The scientific name of the Sperm Whale is Physeter Macrocephalus, where "macrocephalus" really means "big head"!

Another unique part of the Sperm Whale is the single blowhole on the left side of the head instead of the top, like other whales. The Sperm Whale also has a large hump on the back, followed by smaller bumps. Gray in color, the Sperm Whale's skin is not smooth like other whales but very wrinkly.

The Sperm Whale's huge head has a large space in it (called the spermaceti organ) filled with a waxy liquid called spermaceti oil. This oil can be cooled or heated by the water through the blowhole and can shrink and increase in weight, helping the whale sink; or expands and decreases in weigh, helping the whale rise to the surface of the ocean.

Although numbering close to 2 million whales today, the Sperm Whale is classified as VULNERABLE in the endangered species list. Two million seems like such a large number, but scatter that number throughout all the oceans on Earth, and the number looks very small. Some reasons why the Sperm Whale is on the endangered list include:

1. Hunting - The Sperm Whale has always been hunted for its spermaceti; whalers sell them to people who make cosmetics and candles. Japan continues to hunt Sperm Whales despite the ban on whaling by the International Whaling Commission.

2. Threats from fishing equipment - Sperm Whales also get entangled in nets and fishing gear, and collide with fishing boats.

Sperm Whale Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Physeter Macrocephalus
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 49 to 59 feet long
Weight: 35 to 45 tons
Range: Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans
Diet: Squid, fish, octopus

To make your own Whale Sock, click on the image or here.

Preliminary Sketches by Rogan

2009-02-11T19:52:00.002+08:00

Here are Rogan's initial sketches for his drawings on his chosen endangered animals.

The Giant Panda

2009-02-10T20:42:00.005+08:00

What's black and white and loved all over?.......the Giant Panda, a national treasure of China. Because it is a national treasure, it is protected by law. Scientists aren't exactly sure why the Panda is black and white, but they think that the black and white coloring provides camouflage against the snow and rocks of their environment. Some scientists also say that the different coloring also helps the Giant Pandas to see each other.

The Giant Panda's diet is 99% bamboo. And it eats a lot of bamboo, too! It eats for at least 12 hours per day and consumes up to 84 pounds of bamboo! In the wild, the Giant Panda also eats grass, shrubs, berries and small rats (if it can catch them).

When we see a Giant Panda in the zoo, it is either sleeping, or sitting down with its legs out in front. They look lazy, but they can easily climb trees and are good swimmers. Baby pandas are born white; they develop the unique coloring as they get older. Baby pandas are also blind, and cannot crawl until they reach 5 months.

The Giant Panda is an ENDANGERED SPECIES. There are only 1,600 Giant Pandas in the world. Some reasons why they are endangered:

1. Few babies - Female Giant Pandas give birth to one or two cubs and can take care of only one. In the wild, one of the cubs usually die. But in a zoo, zookeepers take care of the other twin and switches the cubs so that the Mother Panda is able to give both her babies care and milk.

2. Bamboo shortage - When bamboo plants grow, they flower and produce seeds. The seeds grow into plants big enough for the Giant Panda to eat. When the seeds produce the plant, the bamboo plant dies. The Panda will eat the kind of bamboo that grows in its environment. But the bamboo plants growing in the same area die at the same time, forcing the Giant Panda to look in other places.

3. Habitat destruction - As Pandas look for more places that grow bamboo, they compete with the world's growing population. More people means the need for more places to live, which means more forests are cut down to make space. As people cut more trees, the Giant Panda has less and less food to eat.

4. Hunting - Although the Giant Panda is not hunted, it can sometimes be hurt and killed by the traps that hunters set for other animals.

Giant Panda Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Ailuropoda Melanoleuca
Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Height: 4 to 5 feet
Weight: up to 300 pounds
Range: Southwestern China
Diet: Bamboo, grass, shrubs

To solve a jigsaw puzzle of the Giant Panda, click on the image or here.

Starting the Project: ROGAN

2009-02-09T20:43:00.005+08:00

After a successful Family Day, Rogan settled down to start his project:

He filled up the Kids Can! questionnaire regarding his PLAN to make a difference.
He gave some suggestions on changing a few things on the blog to make it look better. (think blues)
He narrowed down his list of endangered animals to the following:

Black Rhino
Tarsier
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Tiger Salamander
Black Tern
Short-Eared Owl
Sperm Whale

The Asian Tapir

2009-02-08T22:57:00.002+08:00

A mixture of animals, that's what a Tapir looks like. It has a round body (pig) and a long snout (anteater or elephant). It is closely related to the horse and the rhinoceros because each toe of the Tapir has its own separate hoof. The Asian Tapir, also known as the Malayan Tapir, is the largest Tapir among the four species of Tapirs in the world. In Thailand, P'som-sett is the name for the Tapir and means "the mixture is finished."

The Asian Tapir has unique coloring: the "saddle" from the shoulders to the top of the legs are white, and the rest is black except for the tips of the ears which is white. This pattern is for the Tapir's camouflage; animals that would hunt the Tapir think that it is a rock lying on the ground.

The Asian Tapir is a vegetarian, eating only different kinds of plants. Using its long nose like a hand/finger, the Tapir can get leaves from tree branches or pull grass from the ground The Asian Tapir has poor eyesight, so it relies mostly on its sense of smell and hearing to look for food. Small and compact, the Asian Tapir is at home in the water and dives in to cool off.

Baby Tapirs are born brown with beige stripes, no matter what species they are. At six months, the baby Tapir looks like a miniature adult. They reach their full size in 18 months and are considered adults at 2 to 4 years.

All four species of the Tapir are on the ENDANGERED SPECIES list. Some reasons why they are endangered:

1. Hunting - People hunt Tapirs for their meat and skin. A young Tapir captured can be sold for as much as $5,500.

2. Habitat destruction -People continue to be the real threat to the Tapirs' existence. Deforestatation for farming and other agricultural purposes and flooding caused by the damming of rivers for projects all put the Tapir's environment in danger.

Asian Tapir Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Ailuropoda Melanoleuca
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 2.5 to 3.5 feet
Weight: 500 to 800 pounds
Range: rainforests of Southeast Asia
Diet: leaves, grass

To make an origami of the Asian Tapir, click on the image or here.

The White Rhino

2009-02-07T20:30:00.005+08:00

The word Rhinoceros comes from the Greek word rhino, meaning nose, and ceros, meaning horn. The White Rhino is light gray in color, not white. A story says that some early settlers in South Africa called the White Rhino wijde, Dutch for wide, referring to the wide lip of the White Rhino.

The Whito Rhinoceros is the world's largest land mammal after the elephant. They have large heads, wide chests, thick legs, poor eyesight and will charge when they are surprised. The White Rhino has a hump on the back of its neck to support its very big head. Rhinos chew on grass for most of the day, making it one of the largest pure grazers.

There are two horns on the White Rhinoceros; the front horn is the much larger one. Rhino horns grow as much as three inches a year and can grow up to 5 feet! Female rhinos use their horns to protect their babies, while male rhinos use their horns to fight off attackers.

A group of rhinos is called a "crash", a perfect word to describe these large animals that will charge when surprised. Rhinos look like they would win a battle with a tank, but their skin is really sensitive, especially to sunburns and biting insects. This is why they like to roll around in mud.

The White Rhinoceros is an ENDANGERED SPECIES. There are only 11,000 White Rhinoceroses in the wild. Some reasons why they are endangered:

1. Hunting - Poachers hunt the White Rhinoceros for its horn. People in Asia use the horns for medicinal use, while people in North Africa and the Middle East want the horn material to make knife handles.

2. Few babies - Although some rhinoceroses give birth while in the zoo under the watchful eyes of zookeepers, most female rhinos born in captivity have not reproduced. Studies are being made to solve this mystery.

3. Habitat destruction -The White Rhino lives in open grasslands and plains. As the people move into these places and develop them for homes and buildings, the White Rhino is left with smaller and smaller places to live.

White Rhino Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Ceratotherium Simum
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Height: 11 tp 13.75 feet
Weight: 3,168 to 7,920 pounds
Range: Africa, India, Southeast Asia
Diet: Watergrass and leaves

To make this Toilet Paper Roll Rhino, click on the image or here.

Preliminary Sketches by Raine

2009-02-05T22:46:00.006+08:00

Raine started her research today and narrowed down the many many endangered animals out there.
Raine's Endangered Animals list for this project:

Tapir
Komodo Dragon
Giant Panda
Polar Bear
White Rhinoceros
Koala
Bald Eagle

Tomorrow's to-do: start (and finish) drawing/sketching one of the animals listed above.

Starting the Project: RAINE

2009-02-04T20:39:00.004+08:00

We're starting the Project!!!

Here's what we did today:

Raine filled up the questionnaire regarding her PLAN to make a difference.
We had thought about what her project would be for a few days now.
She picked a template for the blog.
She decided on colors for certain things while Mama clicked away at her choices.
We decided on the name of the blog.