No 31 - Philippine Eagle

 

 

“Once upon a time,” begins Paterno the Philippine Eagle, “a long time ago when these vehicles that fly in the air only traveled on the ground, a time when the homo sapiens would use as much land, electricity and water as they wanted, our people fought extinction. The year was 2010. Back then I was a fledgling like some of you here.” He said looking down at the group of Eagles and their young gathered around him.

“At the height of these troubled times there were only 500 of us. Mothers, fathers and children died. No one was discriminated when it came to clearing our homes. We had to abandon our homes for tall glassy buildings that would soar up into the sky. We had to leave our homes for the homo sapien’s farms and for their large mining companies. My wife, Imelda- she was very sick in those years.  She couldn’t give birth. The doctors said that the accumulation of pesticides might have been responsible for her infertility.  Not only were our homes being destroyed, invaded and degraded but we were also being hunted. Our people have not seen such a hard time… and I think I can say that we never will.

“Who saved us?” Piped up a fledgling.

 

“It was the homo sapiens.”

“But they’re not one of us.”

“They didn’t have to be Pito. They recognized our need and worked together to protect us. For a while, they thought our group would never fully recover, but here I am and here are all of you. Can you imagine that once we were confined to the larger islands of the Philippines, Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao. Look at us now. Now, we can really soar.”

 

 

Philippine Eagle: Critically Endangered

No 30 - Illidge's Ant-blue

Today is the Buddhist New Year and the Tu-BShevat, the New Year for trees celebrated by Jews. So when I planned this... I tried to think of a species that reflected the life cycle, the transformations we undergo in life. What would be better than a butterfly. They transform from an egg, to a caterpillar, to a  chrysalis (or pupa) to a butterfly.

Picture to come... this one is borrowed from Wiki!

But the picture I will post later will probably be something that merges both trees and butterflies. Trees, especially in the UK are wonderfully cyclical...

So happy Buddhist New Year and happy New Year for the Trees! Its all about life!

No 29 - Ajolote

Alejandro Jolote: Hi. I just want to vent my feelings on here. I'm Mexican, male and I'm ugly. I've never being told I’m handsome- you see I’m not a lizard or a worm- I’m something in between. I have two legs here at the front, and according to the scientists, I shouldn’t even have any legs at all. I’m a freak. As a larva I would spend most of my time in cattle ponds, but that made me really smelly. So now I spend most of my time out of the water resting on grasslands or in pine-oak forests. It means I smell a little better. But a nice smell still doesn’t cover bad looks you know? I mean look at my tail- it’s just a stub and it’s so white. Did it have to be soo white? It kinda glows. I just feel so ugly. I really struggle with reflective surfaces- I’m so pale. I hate the way I look. I find that people don’t really understand… I constantly get told to "Get over it" or "don't let it get you down" but this doesn’t help.

This isn’t a pity post. The reason that I’m writing is because I want to find a mate, you know- the love of my life. But let’s be honest- I don’t think it’s gonna happen for me.

Can anyone help me? I’m just so ugly. I don’t want to be alone.

Skids84: Get a nice haircut, go to the gym, get a good dress sense and focus on having a good personality. I'm sure you'll be fine. We're not all superficial!

***Sweetcheeks***: Kjewt!

Whatever007: U-G-L-Y you aint got no alibi, you ugly ay ay you ugly.

A positive mental attitude goes a long way.
That is your answer.
Don’t ask me how to build one though.

Spirt1981: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9ZZgDqzAg

Hotdude: Strike it rich (I mean REALLY rich), and you'll have no shortage of gorgeous women wanting you...even if you're as ugly as sin

Loving2010: I dunno. You say ugly, I say a cutie-patootie. Want my number?

Ajolote: Critically Endangered

No 28 - Mountain Pygmy Possum

Such big bulging brown eyes,
they're filled with so much fear today.
Is it the night? These woods?

Not the night, when you're
awake for those moonlit hours
whilst others sleep.

Not these woods either.
Fluttering moths provide food,
these leaves, your shelter

Where's the fear from?
I see it in your future
my Possum friend.

At the thought that there are
only a few of you left here,
it's me who holds the fear.


Mountain Pygmy Possum: Critically Endangered

No 27 - Mindanao Bleeding-heart

It is also Holocaust Memorial Day.  We remember.

Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony: Podcast 

Mindanao Bleeding Heart: Vulnerable

26 - Marley's Golden Mole

Red List: Endangered

25 - Cabbage on a Stick

Cabbage on a stick- yes that's its name. Its latin name is Brighamia insignis. Personally, I prefer Cabbage on a stick. It's catchy. So as it is St Dwynwen day- patron of love and friendship, I wish you love and friendship. May the Cabbage on a Stick flourish, so much so that years from now, we're giving each other these sticks on this day because they're no longer critically endangered. 

To find out more Red list: Cabbage on a Stick 

24 - African Lion

Red List: African Lion

No 23 - The Big White Fish

Dreaming of the Big White Fish...

Not much information on this illusive endangered fish... not one picture. Imagination and daydreaming can take you so far- for the rest check out the Red List website: Big White Fish. The single website for accurate information on the Big White Fish.

No 22 - Hirola

Hirola  (Beatragus hunteri) but also known as Hunter's Antelope and Hunter’s hartebeest 

These rare antelope are  Critically Endangered, as there are thought to be only 105 left in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya.

Find out more: Hirola-Red List 

                          Hirola-Arkive

No 21 - Comoro Friar Butterfly

STATUS: Endangered

ONLY WEBSITE: Red List

No 20 - Bolivian Chinchilla Rat

Meet the Ratas:

 

 

 

 

The only info I could find on the Bolivian Chinchilla Rat on the interwebs: Red List. It is listed as 'Critically Endangered'. Hard times for these rats. I mean chinchillas. I mean rats. I donnu. Hard times. 

No 19 - Venezuelan Sylph

Redlist Endangered: Venezuelan Sylph

No 18 - Galápagos Sea Lion

Arkive: Galápagos Sea Lion

No 17 - Madagascar Sacred Ibis on World Religion Day

ARKive: Madagascar Sacred Ibis

Ibis: Info & Games

White-Bellied Spider Monkey

Red List:  White-Bellied Spider Monkey

Conservation International: White-Bellied Spider Monkey

No 15 - Altamaha Arcmussel

"Hi y’all. I’m Johnny, I was named after the famous Johnny Cash- my momma really liked him so it made sense that I was named after him. I know y’all surprised to hear me talk. Is it cause I’m a mussel or cause of my accent? I’m sorry if it offends- but I’m no redneck. I just grew up here in Georgia so I got this accent.

I bet this is the longest time anyone has had a good look at me. Did y’all think I was a pebble- maybe a rock? I wish I was a rock sometimes… It’s a disguise see. I’m really a shell. A- a heart-shaped shell. So I keep it quiet that I’m soft, soft and smooth on the inside. Some people would see me as weak- they might eat me. It’s sad that I gotta keep my real identity so quiet as my inside is much more attractive than my exterior. It’s silky like water and white like a dream. But I gotta work hard at coming across as hard and tough to stay alive. As a man I gotta compete with them homo-sapiens’ men that wear them flannel shirts and grow beards to look tough. But the truth is I’m actually… kinda, sensitive.

It’s a shame that sensitive has bad connotations. Its not really masculine… but that is just a stereotype. It’s a darn shame. Y’all can see how it be hard. When I say ‘sensitive’ what I mean is that I’m sensitive to changes. Who likes change? I’m not good with them changes. 

There’s been generations of Altmaha Arcmussels that have lived in rivers here in Georgia. I myself have lived in Georgia since I was little. Like other little larvas I attached myself to one of these fishes here. You become part of them, they form a little coat over you and when the time’s right you hop off- kinda like a bus. Why I- I remember my drop off. I was little but ambitious, I took a deep breath and jumped off the fish’s gill onto the riverbed! Landed with a thump. I was only a youngan- I was all excited and scared at the same time- and I needn’t have been scared really. I’ve been here ever since never wondering far. But I didn’t know that then- the unknown got a way of seeming so scary.

But things are changing. I can’t deny that. It’s not going to be this way for much longer... I should be tougher. Bad water, loud noise and the shaking from the all the tractors passing by sure do make it tough for us mussels.

You know what the funny thing is? I’m a mussel with no muscle… now how do you get your head round that? I don’t know- I just don’t know.

Sorry I been talking an awful lot, you people must be thirsty just listening to me! 

Thank you kind folks for your time." 

Red List: Altamaha Arcmussel is an "Endangered" species

ARKive: Pictures of Altamaha Arcmussel

CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE TIGER - Panthera tigris

I will be making a post on a tiger subspecies every other month as it is the year of the Tiger! Sadly, this majestic and emotive animal is Endangered. Follow the links below to find out more.

ARKive: Panthera tigris

IUCN Redlist: Panthera tigris

No 13 - Cowan’s Mantella

Hi. So not much is known about this enigmatic frog but I managed to track one down, hand it a pen and get it to tell us a little more- in its own words of course (Isha coughs uncomfortably) about it. 

For accurate information from the scientists and experts:
 
Arkive: Cowan's Mantella

Conservation: Cowan's Mantella  

No 12 - Blue-throated Macaw

Whilst most stories begin in iconic cities, cities which overflow with noise, furniture and people, this one starts in Bolivia. Away from the business of La Paz or Sucre, we have to travel to the humid treetops of the palm trees of the Bolivian jungle. Here, you can hear the determined march of ants along the thick branches. You can hear shrieks from monkeys in play. Hot air gathers along the outlines of individual leafs, forming into beads which gather into long lines and then pools before plummeting onto dark green undergrowth. The sky turns from a bright blue to a violent pink as the night closes in. The night sweeps over the jungle like a drawn curtain. While some creatures wake up, others give into the deep call of the night. Parrots, toucans and geckos close their eyes. These day creatures are now in the sweet embrace of dreams and sleep. But a Blue-throated Macaw stirs. She shifts. Agitated by images that flash and interrupt her sleep, she wakes up with a jolt.

"Wake up. Oscar wake up."

"I'm up- I'm up."

Oscar looks up- he's surprised to see moonlight, to hear the humming of flies.

"What is it mi amor?" He asks her.

"I had a really bad dream- it was so vivid."

Oscar moves closer to her on the branch and dips his beak into her deep turquoise plumage, the scent of which is as familiar to him as the scent of nuts and seeds."It was just a dream baby," he murmurs softly, "You're safe. You're awake now."

In the familiarity of his soft warmth and his comforting scent, she begins to relive her dream with him.
"There were 300 of us, perhaps less. Across the jungle there were murmurs and whispers that there were less and less of us... and then there were these vans- men with bags- big canvas bags and netting- they foraged among the undergrowth at first but then they would climb up and- and-"

"Don't." Uttered Oscar, "please- don't tell me anymore."

"But it was so vivid... I saw metal bars and boxes- dark boxes for birds... and we were being chased. We were fleeing up into the air- but it was as if we couldn't get high enough- their nets swiped at us. Oscar... it was so real."

"Sleep my Mia. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day."

"It... it..." Mia trembled at the thought but forced herself to say. "It wasn't a dream... was it?"

Blue-Throated Macaw's reality

How to support them

No 11 - A good day for the Mekong Giant Catfish

Removing trousers, skirts etc for "No Pants" day. 

Wilton "bogey"Gaynair

No 10 - Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Arkive info on Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Donations for Spoon-billed Sandpiper

No 9 - Roloway Monkey a la Warhol

IUCN Roloway Monkey

The Colour: Roloway Monkey

No 8 - The Hawksbill Turtle

Isha: (Puts on interview glasses) Today we hear from Bill. Hi Bill, thank you for joining us.

Bill: My pleasure Isha. Kinda roomy in your imagination here.

Isha: Thanks- just don’t move anything. (Shifts in chair as Bill puts down the gold lantern on the side table) So Bill- you’ve been classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species?

Bill: Right.

Isha: How does that feel?

Bill: Well… its happened so gradually you know? There’s always been old bits of netting about the place… people wanting to take our eggs for their mantel pieces or something. Weird if you ask me. The weirdest bit is tourists interrupting our lovemaking- can I say that? Its supposed to be a private moment people- don’t do that!

Isha: That’s awkward- would kinda kill the moment.

Bill: Right! And its been getting harder and harder. Everyone thinks- 'you live in tropical waters, its warm- what’s there to complain about?' Well- the other day I almost swallowed some shinny thing on top of the sponge I was eating. My life flashed before my eyes cause it turned out to be metal- something heavy and hard anyway. I could have died you know? We’re gonna have to learn the heimlich maneuver to stay alive.

Isha: There’s a lot of marine debris out there.

Bill: That’s right- and it looks delicious.

Isha: Now… I read that you’re being hunted?

Bill: That’s right. I’m a target. People want to make me into jewelery. When I first saw my look on the catwalks and the trashy magazines that some of my sisters read, I thought it was flattering. I was like Mum- look! That looks like Uncle Tito’s shell... And then I realized I hadn’t seen Uncle Tito in like- a loooong time.

Isha: You mean…?

Bill: Yup. Not cool.

Isha: That’s devastating… I’m sorry. So what can we do?

Bill: Don’t buy tortoise shell- the fake stuff is fine just not the real shell.

Isha: Thank you for sharing.

Bill: Sure.

Isha: Bill the Hawksbill Turtle people. (Isha wonders why she couldn’t come up with a more interesting name for Hawksbill Turtle Bill… or a better ending. Yikes. Maybe no one noticed…?)

No - 7 The Asian Elephant

The Elephant is Earth's largest land animal, but the Asian Elephant is smaller than its African Savannah relative. Its ears are small and its back is rounded distinguishing it from its African cousin. To see the Asian Elephant's place in Thai society please check out this link: National Geographic




Today, this species is listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation, driven by an expanding human population threaten the survival of these elephants. Poaching for ivory is also a threat and because only males have tusks, populations can become extremely skewed towards females, inevitably affecting breeding rates.

The most important conservation priorities for the Asian Elephant are conservation of their habitat and securing their habitat corridors. To support this cause check out: www.eleaid.com

No 6 - The Wandering Albatross

The Wandering Albatross is one of the largest birds in the world with a wingspan of 2.5 – 3.35 meters. Here, you can see David Attenborough with an Albatross chick and get a better idea of its large size. The Wandering Albatross spends the majority of its time in flight, soaring over the southern oceans – one bird was recorded to have travelled 6000 km in 12 days!

Sadly, the main threat to this incredible bird is incidental catch in fisheries. Individuals get trapped on longline fishing hooks whilst trying to steal fish and squid bait. Then once they are snared they're pulled under and drown. 100,000 Albatrosses die each year on fishing hooks. They are being killed in such vast numbers that they can't breed fast enough to keep their numbers up. This is putting them in real danger of extinction.

You can give your support to conservation effort for their survival by making a donation to: Save the Albatross fund

No 5 - The Polar Bear

While the Polar Bear is not listed as endangered it is listed as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List. According to new research, the polar ice caps are expected to disappear almost entirely during the summer seasons in the next 100 years. These increasing climate changes will invariably have a negative effect on the Polar Bear's habitat and food source. The Polar Bear also has to combat being hunted for food and with less food, polar bears will fail to reproduce more often and give birth to smaller weaker young.

To support the Polar Bear contact: www.polarbearsinternational.org

To see Polar Bear Nirvana:

No 4 - The Staghorn Coral

Like other corals, the Staghorn Coral faces the many threats that are impacting reefs globally. The principal threat is the rise in sea temperature associated with climate change. This leads to coral bleaching, where the symbiotic algae are expelled, leaving the corals weak and vulnerable to an increasing variety of harmful diseases. Climate change is also the expected cause of more extreme weather incidents and the increase in ocean acidification. These global threats are compounded by localised threats from pollution, destructive fishing practices, invasive species and human developments.

To find out more or support this cause contact:

www.coralrestoration.org

No 3 - The Great White Shark

Its hard to think of the Great White Shark as vulnerable but according to the IUCN Redlist that is how this great species is classified. Its vulnerable to sports-fishing, commercial trophy-hunting and even the public aquarium trade. The Great White Shark has long been a focus for negative media attention but it needs rational and realistic treatment by the media to counter its notoriety and inflated market value.

Save the great white shark!

No 2 - Andean Tapir Day

It would be a loss- tantamount to the extinction of the dodo to loose the beloved enigmatic Andean Tapir. The Andean Tapir is South America’s homage to Elvis. It has the razor sharp cheekbones, the quiff, a fur coat that even a rapper would be proud of. Despite its striking features, which lets face it, deserve to be admired by millions, it’s a surprisingly reclusive animal. It is most comfortable in the company of a loyal mate but sometimes it manages to overcome its painfully shy feelings and socialize at salt lick hubs with other timid tapirs.

To date there are less than 2,500 Andean Tapirs in the wild, if you want to help save this wonderful beast you could donate at www.andeantapirfund.com or for the bigger picture see www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/21473/0

No 1- The Kihansi Spray Toad

Numero Uno. Number one - the Kihansi Spray Toad. Ode to the toad who could comfortably sit in a tablespoon!

This rare and beautiful toad is ‘Extinct in the Wild’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which means that you can only see it at Toledo and New York Bronx Zoo. This tiny toad represents the harsh reality- animals are becoming extinct before our eyes.

So how did this happen? In 2000 a dam was constructed on the Kihansi River (Tanzania) which cut off 90 percent of the original water flow to the gorge. The volume of spray was so reduced that the composition of vegetation in this Toad’s habitat was no longer livable. On top of that it faced (and was finally defeated by) the deadly Amphibian Chytridiomycosis fungal disease.

But there is a small slither of hope on the horizon. The breeding progamme in Toledo and New York Bronx Zoos may well eventually release a new population of toads back to their former home in Tanzania.

Want to find out more? Check out the Red List: Kihansi Spray Toad