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Thursday 3/17 Animal Adaptations POWERPOINT

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Thursday 3/17 Animal Adaptations POWERPOINT

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Video link #1- Invasive Species Spreading across America

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Video link #1- Invasive Species Spreading across America

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Video link #2- The Threat of Invasive Species

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Video link #2- The Threat of Invasive Species

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The threat of invasive species - Jennifer Klos

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Video link #3- Why is Biodiversity so Important

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Video link #3- Why is Biodiversity so Important

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Why is biodiversity so important? - Kim Preshoff

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Video link #4- The High Stakes of the Great Lakes

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Video link #4- The High Stakes of the Great Lakes

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The High Stakes of the Great Lakes - Invasive Species

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Video link #5- Fighting the Invasive Stinkbug

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Video link #5- Fighting the Invasive Stinkbug

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Fighting the Invasive Stinkbug | National Geographic

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Video link #6- Invasive Species/ Jonathan Bird's Blue World

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Video link #6- Invasive Species/ Jonathan Bird's Blue World

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Invasive Species | JONATHAN BIRD'S BLUE WORLD

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Video link #7- Pythons Devour Florida: Help Wanted

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Video link #7- Pythons Devour Florida: Help Wanted

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Pythons Devour Florida: Help Wanted | TIME

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Video link #8- Invasion of the Yellow Crazy Ants 

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Video link #8- Invasion of the Yellow Crazy Ants 

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Video link #9- How Florida is handling Invasive lion fish 

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Video link #9- How Florida is handling Invasive lion fish 

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How Florida is handling invasive lionfish

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Video link #10- LITTLE THINGS big problems- Invasive Plants in our Parks 

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Video link #10- LITTLE THINGS big problems- Invasive Plants in our Parks 

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LITTLE THINGS big problems-- Invasive Plants In Our Parks

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Task 1 video and article- questions 1-12

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Task 1 video and article- questions 1-12

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Four reasons biodiversity is essential to humanity.

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IB ESS Video Podcast: http://sciencesauceonline.com/ibessblog IGCSE Biology video podcast: http://sciencesauceonline.com/biologypodcast Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/ib-ess/id1207639341 Twitter: https://twitter.com/science_sauce There are three types of biodiversity: species, habitat and genetic diversity. Species diversity deals with the the richness and evenness of species in an area.

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Task 3 interactive activity- questions 18-24

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Task 3 interactive activity- questions 18-24

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Endangered Species | Environment & Ecology | Biology | FuseSchool

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endangered species, any species that is at risk of extinction because of a sudden rapid decrease in its population or a loss of its critical habitat. Biodiverse regions that require protection on the grounds that they host a significant number of endangered species are called hot spots.
(Read E.O. Wilson's Britannica essay on mass extinction.)
Previously, any species of plant or animal that was threatened with extinction could be called an endangered species. The need for separate definitions of "endangered" and " threatened" species resulted in the development of various categorization systems, each containing definitions and criteria by which a species can be classified according to its risk of extinction. As a rule, a range of criteria must be analyzed before a species can be placed in one category or another.

Often such categorization systems are linked directly to national legislation, such as the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) or the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA). In addition, regional agreements, such as the European Union's Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC), and international conservation agreements, such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), are connected to species- assessment systems. One of the most-recognized independent international systems of species assessment is the Red List of Threatened Species, created by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Human beings and endangered species

Roughly 99 percent of threatened species are at risk because of human activities alone. By the early 21st century it could be said that human beings ( Homo sapiens) are the greatest threat to biodiversity and are the major drivers of biodiversity loss. The principal threats to species in the wild are:

Although some of these hazards occur naturally, most are caused by human beings and their economic and cultural activities. The most pervasive of these threats is habitat loss and degradation-that is, the large-scale conversion of land in previously undisturbed areas driven by the growing demand for commercial agriculture, logging, and infrastructure development. Because the rates of loss are highest in some of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth, a perpetual battle is waged to manage destructive activities there while limiting the impact that such restrictions may have on the well-being of local communities. The relative importance of each threat differs within and among taxa. So far, incidental mortality from ecological disturbance, temporary or limited human disturbance, and persecution have caused limited reductions in the total number of species; however, these phenomena can be serious for some susceptible groups. In addition, global warming has emerged as a widespread threat, and much research is being conducted to identify its potential effects on specific species, populations, and ecosystems.

Conflicts between human activities and conservation are at the root of many of these phenomena. Such controversies are often highly politicized and widely publicized in the global press and through social media. For example, habitat loss and species loss have resulted from the unregulated exploitation of coltan (the rare ore for tantalum used in consumer electronics products such as mobile phones and computers) in Kahuzi-Beiga National Park, one of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's premier forest parks. The park is also home to much of the population of the threatened Eastern Lowland gorilla ( Gorilla beringei graueri). Mining has increased gorilla mortality by reducing the animal's food resources and leading many people displaced by the mining to kill gorillas for their meat. In addition, the mountain gorilla ( G. beringei beringei), a close relative of the Eastern Lowland gorilla, is also at risk of extinction. However, authorities cite poaching, disease, and crossfire between warring political groups in the vicinity of Virunga National Park as the primary sources of its population decline.

Another example of a widely publicized wildlife controversy involves the relatively recent declines in amphibian populations. Known to be important global indicators of environmental health, amphibians have experienced some of the most serious population declines to date of all groups that have been assessed globally through the IUCN Red List process ( see below). Amphibians (a group that includes salamanders, frogs, toads, and caecilians [wormlike amphibians]), being particularly sensitive to environmental changes, are severely threatened by habitat destruction, pollution, the spread of a disease called amphibian chytridiomycosis, and climate change.

Beyond these notable examples, many of the world's birds are also at risk. The populations of some bird species (such as some albatrosses, petrels, and penguins) are declining because of longline fishing, whereas those of others (such as certain cranes, rails, parrots, pheasants, and pigeons) have become victims of habitat destruction. On many Pacific islands, the accidental introduction of the brown tree snake ( Boiga irregularis) has wreaked havoc on many bird populations.

Many fishes and other forms of aquatic and marine life are also threatened. Among them are long-lived species that have life history strategies requiring many years to reach sexual maturity. As a result, they are particularly susceptible to exploitation. The meat and fins of many sharks, rays, chimaeras, and whales fetch high prices in many parts of the world, which has resulted in the unsustainable harvest of several of those species.

Moreover, freshwater habitats worldwide are progressively threatened by pollution from industry, agriculture, and human settlements. Additional threats to freshwater ecosystems include introduced invasive species (such as the sea lamprey [ Petromyzon marinus] in the Great Lakes), the canalization of rivers (such as in the streams that empty into the Everglades in Florida), and the overharvesting of freshwater species (as in the case of the extinct Yunnan box turtle [ Cuora yunnanensis] in China). While an estimated 45,000 described species rely on freshwater habitats, it is important to note that humans are also seriously affected by the degradation of freshwater species and ecosystems.

Against this backdrop of threats related to urban expansion and food production, the unsustainable harvest of animal and plant products for traditional medicine and the pet trade is a growing concern in many parts of the world. These activities have implications for local ecosystems and habitats by exacerbating population declines through overharvesting. In addition, they have cross-border repercussions in terms of trade and illegal trafficking.

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Endangered species | Definition, Causes, Examples, & Facts

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Endangered species, any species that is at risk of extinction because of a sudden rapid decrease in its population or a loss of its critical habitat. Previously, any species of plant or animal that was threatened with extinction could be called an endangered species.

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Hover over the map to select a Political boundary

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford’s startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, wit…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

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Species List | Endangered, Vulnerable, and Threatened Animals | WWF

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WWF is committed to saving endangered species. Learn more about the species we are working to protecting from becoming endangered or extinct.

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Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Peregrine falcons are large birds of prey, known for their speed. They dive-bomb their target at more than 320 kilometres an hour, making them the fastest animal in the world.

These falcons live nearly all over the world, including by the coast, in the desert and on mountain peaks. Despite this adaptability, peregrine falcons became an endangered species in the 1970s.

Pesticides, particularly a synthetic pesticide called DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), contaminated their diet of other birds and fish. Hunting, loss of habitat, egg collection, trading and other human disturbances also contributed.

The population started increasing after DDT was banned in the US in 1972. Conservation work such as captive breeding programmes and large-scale protection of nesting places also helped save the species from extinction.
Find out about peregrine falcons in the UK >
Mallorcan midwife toad (Alytes muletensis)

Mallorcan midwife toads are one of the smallest toads in the world with an unusual way of raising their young.

Females lay a string of between seven and 12 eggs. Males then wind the string of eggs around their legs and carry them on their backs until the young tadpoles are ready to hatch.

The isolated species does not handle habitat change very well. They were once thought to be extinct but were rediscovered in Mallorca in the 1970s. The introduction of non-native species, particularly the viperine snake, has limited the toads to small streams in limestone mountain tops.

Changes in land and water use to accommodate a growing human population and rural tourism also contributed to the diminishing population.

Conservation actions, including captive breeding programmes helped increase the number, distribution and range. As a result, the Mallorcan midwife toad is now the only amphibian species to have its conservation status downgraded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) from critically endangered to vulnerable.

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)

Sea otters are a keystone species which means they play an important role in keeping the balance of coastal ecosystems around northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean.

These cute, furry mammals feed on invertebrates including clams and sea urchins, which would otherwise run rampant and devour entire kelp forests.

Kelp forests are important for several reasons, not least because they provide food and shelter for many other marine animals and birds, store carbon dioxide and protect coastal areas from storms.

Sea otters do not have any blubber to keep them warm - instead they have extremely thick fur. The fur is estimated to have a million hairs per square inch, making it the densest in the animal kingdom.

Their lush fur meant that sea otters were hunted extensively in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Their numbers dropped to as low as 2,000 individuals.

An international ban on hunting along with conservation efforts and reintroduction programmes encouraged the population to grow. Sea otters now occupy two thirds of their former range, although they are still classified as endangered.

Fen orchid (Liparis loeselii)

Found in just a handful of sites in the UK, the fen orchid is one of the most endangered wildflowers in Europe.

The small, pale yellow flowers of the fen orchid grow only in coastal sand dunes or open fenlands.

In fenlands, the roots grow perched on clumps of moss that form on peat or sedge tussocks. In sand dunes, the plant grows on damp sand left behind when the top dry layer is blown away by wind.

Fen orchids once occupied eight sand dune systems along the coast of south Wales and several other sites in eastern England, but numbers diminished, largely due to habitat deterioration. Just a few hundred plants were left, in Wales and Norfolk.

But after a decade of conservation work, the fen orchid is starting to bounce back. The plants are legally protected, and the dunes and fens have been restored. In 2019 more than 4,000 fen orchids were counted by conservation group Plantlife.

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

Blue whales are the largest animals ever to exist. Measuring up to 33 metres and weighing up to around 150 tonnes, these majestic giants were once plentiful in nearly all the oceans on Earth.

Blue whales were hunted to near extinction for their oil and fat, which were used for products such as margarine, soap and lamp lights.

Baleen - the thick, coarse bristles in their mouths used to catch food - was a valuable by-product because it is strong, flexible and light weight. It was even used to make corsets.

Hundreds of thousands of blue whales were slaughtered in early- to mid-twentieth century, when the whaling industry peaked. They were finally given legal protection in 1966 by the International Whaling Commission. Since then their population has slowly recovered, although there are still far fewer blue whales in our oceans than there once were.

Island night lizard (Xantusia riversiana)

These medium-sized reptiles only live on a few islands off the coast of southern California. Unusual for lizards, they give birth to live young instead of laying eggs.

When humans introduced non-native species such as goats and pigs to the islands, they damaged their habitat. Feral cats and rats also ate the lizards, who were added to the list of endangered animals in 1977.

Since then, invasive species have been removed, the land has been replenished and the public have been educated.

It is estimated that there are now over 21 million island night lizards on three islands, culminating in the removal from the endangered list. The IUCN now classifies the lizard as least concern.

Rodrigues fruit bat (Pteropus rodricensis)

Rodrigues fruit bats once lived on multiple islands in the Indian Ocean, but they are now confined to Rodrigues.

These sociable creatures roost in large groups in dense forests which provide protection from the severe weather their island home often experiences.

The bats are important pollinators and seed dispersers as they feed on fruits and flowers, crushing the food against their palate and spitting out the seeds. Without them, many native plants would be unable to reproduce.

Deforestation has posed a serious threat to the species. Fragmentation of the rainforest means the area is less protected against tropical cyclones. This can cause a shortage of food and roosting places for the bats, and can even mean they are blown out to sea.

Thanks to successful captive breeding programmes in 46 zoos around the world, habitat conservation, watershed protection, and education in local communities, the population is increasing.

Despite the positive increase, the bats are still listed by the IUCN as endangered due to their limited geographic range.

Fisher's estuarine moth (Gortyna borelii lunata)

Fisher's estuarine moths are extremely rare because they require a highly specialised environment.

These medium-sized moths feed exclusively on hog's fennel, a spindly wildflower that grows near the sea but cannot tolerate saltwater. The moths lay eggs on coarse grass and upon hatching, the caterpillars migrate to the wildflowers to feed.

The density of hog's fennel in an area is important. Too much means there won't be enough grass for the moths to lay eggs on, and too little means there won't be enough food - one plant is able to feed only one larva.

In addition, hog's fennel must be in its third year of growth to be sufficiently large enough to satisfy a caterpillar's appetite. The moths were at risk of extinction and found in only two locations in England: North Essex and Kent.

The biggest threats to these elusive flyers were rising sea levels and poor habitat management. Efforts made to maintain habitats and keep them safe from flooding has helped to sustain the population.

Pygmy Rwandan water lily (Nymphaea thermarum)

The smallest water lily in the world once lived around a thermal hot spring in Mashyuza, Rwanda.

Unusually, it grows on the surface of damp mud at 25°C precisely. The temperature exposes the plant to high levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen, which are needed for it to flourish.

The water lily became extinct in the wild due to the overexploitation of the hot spring which fed its habitat.

Fortunately, samples were collected by a botanist several years before its demise and sent to Bonn Botanical Garden in Germany and later, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. After many trials and errors, it was cultivated successfully.

Shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)

The shortnose sturgeon is a prehistoric fish as old as dinosaurs.

The bottom-feeder lacks scales and instead has five rows of bony plates (called scutes) along its body. Combined with its murky brown and bluish-black colour, the fish looks like it is wearing armour.

It was nearly driven to extinction from overfishing, habitat destruction and river damming.

The shortnose sturgeon was listed as endangered in 1967. This, along with captive breeding programmes and research, led to the birth of a superior generation and allowed the species to thrive in 41 bays and rivers in North America.

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Ten animals we have saved from extinction

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Find out some of the animals we have saved from extinction all over the globe.

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EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world

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Thousands of new species are discovered each year. To celebrate the new finds, the International Institute for Species Exploration ( IISE) compiles a top 10 new species list of notable discoveries made during the previous year.

The annual list is released around May 23 to honor of the birthday of Carl Linnaeus, the botanist and physician who developed our modern binomial classification system for naming organisms.

Here are the top 10 for 2017:
(In alphabetical order by scientific name)

"Sorting Hat" Spider ( Eriovixia gryffindori). Location: India

Unexpected Katydid ( Eulophophyllum kirki). Location: Malaysia

Omnivorous Root Rat ( Gracilimus radix). Location: Indonesia

414-legged Millipede ( Illacme tobini). Location: United States

"Dragon" Ant ( Pheidole drogon). Location: Papua New Guinea

Freshwater Stingray ( Potamotrygon rex). Location: Brazil

Swimming Centipede ( Scolopendra cataracta). Location: Laos, Thailand and Vietnam

Bush Tomato ( Solanum ossicruentum). Location: Australia

Endangered Orchid ( Telipogon diabolicus). Location: Colombia

"Churro" Marine Worm ( Xenoturbella churro). Location: Mexico

Bottom line: The IISE has released the list of top 10 new species for 2017.
Read more from the IISE

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Top 10 new species 2017 | Earth | EarthSky

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Thousands of new species are discovered each year. To celebrate the new finds, the International Institute for Species Exploration ( IISE) compiles a top 10 new species list of notable discoveries made during the previous year.

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford’s startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, wit…

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Directions: Read the scenario below. Scroll down to the Google Form and enter your teacher's email carefully to be sure to get your certificate. Answer the questions in the Google Form by navigating through the Virtual Ocean Life Scene and clicking on the correct creature that corresponds to the

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SHARKS
© Contributed by Leanne Guenther
In some form, sharks have been around for about 400 million years. They are the top predators of the ocean's natural food chain.

Even before dinosaurs roamed the earth, sharks hunted through the oceans! They're such good survivors that they've had little need to evolve in the last 150 million years.

There are over 400 types of sharks -- at least 30 of these species have been known to attack humans. They range in size from 6 inches to 45 feet.

These ancient predators fascinate adults and children alike.

Scientific Information: Sharks belong to the class of fish, Chondrichthyes.
[in Spanish]

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© Contributed by Leanne Guenther In some form, sharks have been around for about 400 million years. They are the top predators of the ocean's natural food chain. Even before dinosaurs roamed the earth, sharks hunted through the oceans! They're such good survivors that they've had little need to evolve in the last 150 million years.

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African wild dogs, or 'painted dogs', are an endangered species of wild dog. The primary reason they are endangered is habitat loss from human development

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Wild Dogs - Africa's Wild Wonders - The Secrets of Nature

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Once thought to be globally extinct, black-footed ferrets are making a comeback. For the last thirty years, concerted efforts from many state and federal agencies, zoos, Native American tribes, conservation organizations and private landowners have given black-footed ferrets a second chance for survival. Today, recovery efforts have helped restore the black-footed ferret population to nearly 300 animals across North America. Although great strides have been made to recover the black-footed ferret, habitat loss and disease remain key threats to this highly endangered species.

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Once thought to be globally extinct, black-footed ferrets are making a comeback. For the last thirty years, concerted efforts from many state and federal agencies, zoos, Native American tribes, conservation organizations and private landowners have given black-footed ferrets a second chance for survival.

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Black Footed Ferret Facts -  Black Footed Ferret Information  -  Knowledge about Black Footed Ferret

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Black rhino facts - discover where black rhinos live, what they eat and why we need to save them. All you need to know at a glance.

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Built like a torpedo, I race through the water at speeds up to 43 miles per hour. My pectoral (side) fin can retract and my eyes are flush with my body, meaning I am extremely streamlined, which helps with speed and endurance.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by

blue whale, ( Balaenoptera musculus), also called sulfur-bottom whale, the most massive animal ever to have lived, a species of baleen whale that weighs approximately 150 tons and may attain a length of more than 30 metres (98 feet). The largest accurately measured blue whale was a 29.5-metre female that weighed 180 metric tons (nearly 200 short [U.S.] tons), but there are reports of 33-metre catches that may have reached 200 metric tons. The heart of one blue whale was recorded at nearly 700 kg (about 1,500 pounds).

The blue whale is a cetacean and is classified scientifically within the order Cetacea as a rorqual (family Balaenopteridae) related to the gray whale (family Eschrichtiidae) and the right whales (Balaenidae and Neobalaenidae) of the baleen whale suborder, Mysticeti.

Blue whales are blue-gray in colour with lighter gray mottling in the form of large spots, which appear as if they were dabbed on with a huge paintbrush. The lower surfaces of the flippers are lighter gray or white in some instances. The blue whale has been called the sulfur-bottom whale because of the yellowish underside of some individuals that is reminiscent of the pale yellow colour of that chemical element; this coloration is imparted by certain algae ( diatoms) living on the whale's body. The blue whale has a wide head, a small dorsal fin located near the fluke, and 80-100 long grooves running lengthwise down the throat and chest. Its mouth contains up to 800 plates of short, wide, black baleen, or "whalebone," with thick, coarse bristles used for catching food. Females are generally larger than males, and the largest animals live in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

The blue whale is found alone or in small groups in all oceans, but populations in the Southern Hemisphere are much larger. In the Northern Hemisphere, blue whales can be seen regularly in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the coasts of Monterey, California, and Baja California, Mexico. They spend the summer in polar waters, feeding on shrimplike crustaceans called krill. During a dive, the blue whale may engage in a series of turns and 360° rolls to locate prey and rapidly reorient its body to sweep up large concentrations of krill in a single open-mouthed lunge. A single adult blue may consume as much as eight tons of krill per day. In the winter blue whales move toward the Equator to breed. After a gestation of about 12 months, one calf about 8 metres (about 26 feet) long is born in temperate waters. While nursing, calves gain up to 90 kg (about 198 pounds) per day on the rich milk of their mothers. Young are weaned after seven to eight months, when they have reached a length of about 15 metres (about 49 feet).

Once the most important of the commercially hunted baleen whales, the blue whale was greatly reduced in numbers during the first half of the 20th century. In the 1930-31 season alone the worldwide kill of blue whales exceeded 29,000. The species has been protected from commercial whaling since the mid-1960s. Populations of blue whales appear to be recovering and are estimated worldwide at between 10,000 and 25,000 animals. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature still lists the blue whale as an endangered species.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica John P. Rafferty.

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Blue whale, a species of baleen whale, a cetacean, that is the most massive animal ever to have lived. Weighing approximately 150 tons, it may attain a length of more than 30 meters (98 feet). Blue whales are predominantly blue-gray animals whose lower surfaces are lighter gray or white.

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Population & distribution

Previous population & distribution
Chimpanzees had a wide but discontinuous distribution across Equatorial Africa, from southern Senegal across the forested belt north of the Congo River to western Uganda and western Tanzania.

Current population & distribution
Due to a lack of survey data in many regions, current estimates for the wild population range from 150,000 to 250,000 individuals. The distribution is still wide, but considerably smaller and more fragmented.

The largest remaining populations occur in central Africa, mainly Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Cameroon.

Senegal, Mali, the Cabinda enclave of Angola, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan contain small, dispersed populations that are seriously at risk. Populations have severely declined in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Burundi and Rwanda. Côte d'Ivoire, for example, once harboured an important population; however a recent survey found this had declined by 90% over the last 20 years.

Populations are no longer found in Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin, or Togo.

The central chimpanzee is the most numerous of all chimpanzee subspecies, with a population of up to 115,000 individuals, mostly in Gabon, Cameroon, and Congo. Small, isolated, or relict populations occur in the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola (Cabinda enclave), south-east Nigeria, and possibly the coastal extension of DRC. Large populations of this subspecies are now found only where large areas of forest remain relatively undisturbed.

The western chimpanzee once occurred in 13 countries from southern Senegal eastwards as far as the Niger River in central Nigeria. Its distribution is now extremely patchy, reflecting the fragmentation of its habitat. The largest-remaining population is found in Côte D'Ivoire, with smaller populations in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Liberia. Only relict populations are found in Mali, Ghana, and Senegal, and the subspecies is extinct in the wild in Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin, and possibly Togo. The total population is thought to be about 21,000-55,000 individuals.

The eastern chimpanzee ranges from the Ubangi River/Congo River in Central African Republic and DRC, to western Uganda, Rwanda and western Tanzania. Small, relict populations are found in Burundi and south-eastern Sudan.

The Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee is the least numerous subspecies with a total population of less than 6,500 individuals remaining in Nigeria and Cameroon, north of the Sanaga River. The only relatively large and secure populationis in Gashaka-Gumti National Park in Nigeria, with an estimated population of up to 1,500.

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Previous population & distribution Chimpanzees had a wide but discontinuous distribution across Equatorial Africa, from southern Senegal across the forested belt north of the Congo River to western Uganda and western Tanzania. Current population & distribution Due to a lack of survey data in many regions, current estimates for the wild population range from 150,000 to 250,000 individuals.

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Galapagos penguin facts for kids help us to learn rare insights about Galapagos penguins that are not common. These penguins belong to the family of Spheniscus Mendiculus and are common in Galapagos Islands. This is the only specie that is living in the north of equator and is capable to bear extreme cool temperatures.

The survey conducted in 2004 about the Galapagos' population which revealed that there are around 1,500 birds left and is, therefore, listed as endangered species. The population also faced sudden decline of about 70% back in 1980; however, it is said that these figures are becoming better with the passage of time. Amongst all the penguin species, Galapagos penguins are rarest penguin species.

Galapagos Penguin Facts For Kids

1. The length of Galapagos penguins is 49 cm (19 in).

2. These penguins weigh around 2-5 kg (5-5 lb).

3. The color of the head is black with a white border.

4. They have blackish grey and white undersides together with two black lineages that run across its stomach.

5. The adults are considerably different from their chicks.

6. The males are greater in size in comparison to the females.

7. The Galapagos Penguin is the third smallest species of penguin.

8. These penguins are considered to be endangered species. A significant decline in the population is observed according to the survey conducted in 2004 by the research station.

9. There are no more than 1,000 breeding pairs all around the world.

10. The females lay eggs after every 4 days of interval.

11. The breeding starts when the temperature of the water surface falls below 24oC for the reason that under this temperature, foodstuff becomes available abundantly.

12. The average lifespan of Galapagos penguins is 10 - 12 years. However, they can live up to 20 years.

13. These are social and they like humans to approach them but no less than 3 meters of a distance.

Galapagos Penguin Distribution Facts

Apart from other islands, Isabela and Fernandina Islands are the two most common places where these species are seen in large colonies. Almost 90% of Galapagos penguins live in these Islands. Besides, they also live in Santa Cruz, Floreana, Santiago, and Bartolome.

What do Galapagos Penguins Eat?

They eat small schooling fish, mainly mullet, sardines, and sometimes crustaceans.

Facts about Galapagos Penguin Behavior

1. These birds tend to stay near water in the daylight; however, when the night falls they come out to the land due to the extreme cold weather.

2. These penguins avoid sun rays and in daylight, they flap their wings to cover their feet for the reason that they can lose heat from their feet.

3. In order to hide eggs from the sunlight, Galapagos penguins place them under the steep rocks.

Galapagos Penguin Breeding Facts

1. The nesting period lasts from May to January.

2. The nests are built near water shore i.e. 50 m (160 feet).

3. They are monogamous birds in that they choose their mates for a lifetime.

4. The period of incubation lasts for 38 to 40 days.

5. Both males and females are responsible for the incubation process.

6. The chicks come out after 30 days of their birth.

7. After 60 - 65 days chicks can take care of themselves.

Predators

1. Since Galapagos Penguins are relatively smaller, they have predators like eagles, hawks, owls and snakes.

2. Other predators include sharks, seals, and sea lions.

Galapagos Penguins Facts Videos

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Galapagos Penguin Facts For Kids - Galapagos Penguin Diet and Behavior

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Galapagos penguin facts for kids help us to learn rare insights about Galapagos penguins that are not common. These penguins belong to the family of Spheniscus Mendiculus and are common in Galapagos Islands. This is the only specie that is living in the north of equator and is capable to bear extreme cool temperatures.

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Galapagos Penguin facts: the world's hottest penguins | Animal Fact Files

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When born, green sea turtles are only 5 cm (2 in) long. But they grow up to 1.5 meters (5 ft) in length and can weigh over 300 kg (700 lbs), making them the largest of the hardshell sea turtles.

The dorsal shell of the green turtle, or carapace, is wide, smooth, and brownish-olive in color. The underside of the shell, or plastron, is yellow. Green sea turtles are so named for the greenish hue of their skin. Their heads cannot retract into their bodies, despite the common misconception that they can. Reaching speeds of up to 56 km/h (35 mph), their streamlined shell and paddle-like flippers aid in their ability to swim quickly and with grace.

Green sea turtles are able to hold their breath for hours at a time. Because they are cold-blooded, the temperature of the water affects their ability to hold their breath. In colder water they can hold their breath for longer.

With features well-adapted to sea life, their agile mobility underwater does not carry over to their travels on the beach. On land they move slowly, laboriously pulling themselves along with their flippers. But in general, green turtles only venture onto land to lay their eggs. Females lay eggs every 2-4 years once they are sexually mature.

To reach their nesting grounds, green turtles migrate long distances, traveling back to the beaches where they were born. After mating in the shallow waters near shore, female turtles climb onto the beach and lay their eggs in a pit. They lay 100-200 eggs at a time and leave them alone for 2 months before they hatch. Once the baby turtles hatch, they must crawl to the water and avoid a multitude of predators, including birds and crabs.

Green sea turtles make their home in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. There are two types of green turtles, the Atlantic green turtle and the Eastern Pacific green turtle. It is debated whether these are subspecies or completely separate species. Each of the populations has its own feeding and breeding grounds. Atlantic green turtles are found throughout the Atlantic Ocean, while Eastern Pacific green turtles are found in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Mediterranean and Black Seas. Over 80 countries in the world have green turtles nest on their beaches.

Green sea turtles feed on crabs, jellyfish, and other creatures as juveniles. As adults they become herbivores, primarily eating sea grasses and algae.

Conservation Status

According to the IUCN, green turtles are listed as endangered, and their numbers are decreasing. Green turtles are hunted and their eggs are collected by humans, a legal practice in some countries. Green turtles are also threatened by destruction of nesting areas and foraging areas in the sea. Sometimes green turtles are accidentally caught in fishing nets, further declining their population.

There are efforts to lessen the amount of turtles and eggs harvested in many countries. In addition, many countries are trying to protect the nesting and foraging grounds. They are protected under many treaties and laws.

What You Can Do to Help

Green sea turtles can use as many advocates as they can get. Make sure you do not purchase products made from this endangered species. Also, if you live an area that green turtles use for nesting, you can lead a community effort to protect the beaches they nest on.

Green Sea Turtle Distribution

Green Sea Turtle Resources

Blog Posts about the Green Sea Turtle

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Green Sea Turtle Facts for Kids | Endangered Animals

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Did you know green sea turtles can hold their breath for hours at a time? Learn more green sea turtle facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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Gorilla beringei beringei

The mountain gorilla, a large, strong ape inhabiting Africa's volcanic slopes, has few natural predators. Yet due to detrimental human activity, such as poaching, civil war, and habitat destruction, the mountain gorilla, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, has become the most endangered type of gorilla.

Currently, the mountain gorilla's habitat is limited to protected national parks in two regions of Africa. One group of gorillas lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The other group is spread over three national parks in the Virungas mountain region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Mountain gorillas are as shy as they are strong. But when threatened, they can be aggressive. They beat their chests and let out angry grunts and roars. Group leaders will charge at the threat. Mothers will fight to the death to protect their young.

Mountain gorillas live in groups of up to 30. The group, or troop, is led by a single alpha male, an older silverback. These males are called silverbacks because of the silver stripe they develop on their backs when they mature. The oldest males of the group are at least 12 years old. These troops also include several younger males, adult and juvenile females, and infants.

In addition to providing protection to group members, silverbacks maintain order and decide all activities within their troop. They schedule feeding trips, resting time, and travel. They also father the majority of the young in the group.

Female mountain gorillas can produce young beginning at age 10. They carry one or two babies at a time and give birth after a 8.5-month gestation period. In general, they will bear between two and six offspring in a lifetime.

Newborn gorillas weigh about 1.8 kg (4 lb.) at birth. They are as weak and uncoordinated as human babies. For the first four years of their lives, they get around by clinging to their mothers backs. By 3.5 years of age, the young gorillas are fully weaned from their mothers milk and start the same diet as mature mountain gorillas: plants, leaves, roots and shoots.

Fully-grown male mountain gorillas can weigh up to 180 kg (400 lb). Females weigh half that at about 90 kg ( 200 lb). Aside from the silver stripe on their backs, male mountain gorillas are distinguished from females because they have a crest of fur on their heads. Both genders have similar thick black hair covering their body. Their thick hair keeps them warm in cold mountain temperatures.

Conservation Status

Mountain gorillas are considered endangered by IUCN's Red List. Not only are mountain gorillas threatened by loss of habitat due to human encroachment, they have also become victims of human violence. As civil war rages in Africa, efforts to conserve mountain gorilla populations have been curtailed. Mountain gorillas have also been killed or captured by poachers. Their body parts are sold to collectors, and baby gorillas are sold illegally as pets, research subjects, or private zoo animals.

What You Can Do to Help

To help, you can make donations to the International Gorilla Conservation Program. You can also support the Gorilla Fund International, set up by conservationist Dian Fossey.

Mountain Gorilla Range

Gorilla Resources

Blog Posts about the Mountain Gorilla

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Mountain Gorilla Facts | Endangered Animals

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Due to poaching, civil war, and habitat destruction in Africa, the mountain gorilla is the most endangered type of gorilla. Learn more at Animal Fact Guide!

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Although the word orangutan may sound like a reference to the orangutans orange colored hair, it is actually a combination of two Malaysian words "orang" meaning "person" and "hutan" meaning "forest".

These "people of the forest" are one of our closest relatives sharing over 96% of our DNA.

Orangutans are the largest arboreal animals in the world and spend the vast majority of their time in the rainforest canopy. They eat, sleep, breed and give birth, sometimes hundreds of feet above the ground.

They are climbing machines, with remarkably long and powerful arms, and feet with opposable big toes that have a grip strength 4 times that of a human hand.

Cumbersome and graceless on the ground, even the largest male orangutans are aerial artists in the trees.

Orangutans and tropical rainforests were once plentiful all across the Southeast of the continent of Asia, but today, only two small populations of two separate species of orangutan remain.

The Sumatran orangutan, which can be found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is lighter in color with longer hair than the Bornean orangutan.

The Bornean species can be found only on the Malaysian island of Borneo. Bornean orangutans have darker hair and males have more pronounced cheek flanges that curve forward.

There is considerable sexual dimorphism in the orangutan with males generally growing to at least 2 times the weight of females.

Males start to develop large cheek "flanges" when they are in their teens. The flanges are thick pads of flesh that frame the face and develop more prominently in dominant males. Some less dominant males never develop cheek flanges.

The orangutan is the only member of the great apes that does not live in large groups. Females raise their infants and have their company for up to ten years, but adult males live solitary lives with little socializing.

Seasonally, groups of adults may come together at select fruit trees, and young females may "hang out" together for a few days at a time, but mostly these "people of the forest" are loners. - Orangutan Facts

the spectacular face

When it comes to examples of great ape masculine extreme, the gorilla has the silverback, the human being has 'The Rock,' but only the orangutan has the flange.

Young male orangutans look just like their female counterparts until about the age of twelve, and then they begin to develop fatty deposits on their cheeks in the shape of large semi-circles. They also develop a large deposit of fat on the top of the skull, and a large throat pouch that allows them to create very loud warning yells called "long calls."

The flanges of the Bornean orangutan in particular, are sometimes quite massive, and curl in towards the face. One theory on this curved shape is that it may act as a sounding board for the long calls.

Sumatran males flanges are smaller and flatter, but they develop a long "cape" of hair that hangs from their arms and looks very cool when they are swinging through the trees.

Adult male orangutans have loosely defined territories that overlap with other males, and usually includes the territories of several females with their infants.

The calls they sound out across the rainforest serve notice for other males to keep clear.

Occasionally confrontations occur, but are rarely serious. When fights between mature males do occur though, they often include them biting each others flanges.

The most interesting part of all of this, is that not all males develop flanges. There is no real understanding of why this is, but "un-flanged" male orangutans seem less dominant, and are often considerably smaller.

They may still find receptive females however, and so the flanged male is not really "alpha" in the sense that it dominates breeding.

In the most interesting twist to this orangutan tale, there have been several documented cases of orangutan populations in captivity that had one flanged male in residence. When he was removed or passed on, the unflanged male rapidly developed a full face of flanges - fascinating! - Orangutan Facts

orangutans in peril

The wonderfully expressive and soulful orangutan, is now limited to two tiny islands and about 60,000 wild individuals.

There are many different studies and conservation efforts occurring simultaneously to save the wild orangutan, but the task starts, of course, with saving the rainforests they call home.

Recently, the most pressing force against the survival of the orangutan has been the development of palm oil plantations.

Thousands of items that we use every day, from shampoo to ice cream, contain palm oil as an ingredient, and the demand is on the rise for this product.

Believe it or not, one of the reasons for the increase in the use of palm oil is the health craze in developed nations. The use of trans-fats in many notoriously unhealthy snack foods is being replaced with palm oil.

These plants are actually native to Africa, but are being grown and supplied to the industry enmasse by plantations in Borneo and Sumatra. In order to start growing the palm, thousands of acres of rainforest are burned to the ground.

Sometimes communities of orangutans and hundreds of other animals are killed in the process. Sometimes communities of indigenous peoples are displaced as well, and all for a healthier snack.

orangutan reproduction

The orangutan has a very long childhood, similar in length to humans and elephants.

It is probably one of the most intense mother-child bonds, and youngsters don't tend to "leave the nest" until they are about 10 to 12 years old. Mothers may have become pregnant and given birth to another infant while they are still caring for one, and little "families" of varying ages are not uncommon.

Although the dependency on the mother is very long, once they head off on their own, orangutans tend to become sexually active fairly quickly. Orangutans generally mate when the female is in cycle, but like human beings and bonobos, they occasionally engage in sexual activity of a more recreational nature.

Even pregnant females have been observed engaging in sexual activity.

Beyond that, and most unusual, orangutans regularly have intercourse face-to-face. Whales do this of course, but among land animals it was once thought that only humans had sex in this position.

Observation has revealed that both orangutans and their very sexy cousins the bonobos also have face-to-face relations, and while nowhere near as sexually active as bonobos, orangutans use this position more often percentage wise than any animals other than human beings.

Young female orangutans usually have their first infant at about 14 years of age. Males must wait a bit longer to mature, but a dominant young male who is aggressive, develops impressive flanges and begins to "long call" to announce his presence, can attract a willing female by the time he is 15 or 16.

Females cycle every month and are receptive for about 4 days, during which they will nest with the male of their choice. There are some altercations between males for territory and mating rights, and most older males display small scars and injuries as they age, often on their flanges.

These altercations involve loud bellows, slapping and biting, and a style of shoving similar to Sumo wrestlers, but are rarely, if ever, fatal

Once pregnant, the female prepares a particularly elaborate nest which may actually include more than one level for her to store food or just move about.

She gives birth 100 feet off the ground, and her newborn although wide-eyed and furred, is virtually helpless. Infant orangutans have one pressing goal- to grab onto mom as tight as possible.

They have long, strong fingers and toes that lock on the hair of their mothers chest and belly for the first two weeks, and then grasp her head, and neck hair for a ride on her back.

The youngster may be carried for up to four years, and will nurse for up to six. Mother orangutans spend time carefully teaching their youngsters the intricacies of rainforest life.

They chew fruits and offer bits from their mouth for the baby to sample.They demonstrate how to open a wide assortment of seeds and nuts. They move about their territory demonstrating where, when and which trees have the best bounty. They use simple tools like sticks that they have removed the leaves from to catch ants and termites, and they carefully demonstrate these skills.

Most importantly, they pass on the skills of nest building.

Nest building for orangutans is virtually an art, and they build the most elaborate nests of all the great apes, sometimes even including blankets and pillows.

Youngsters spend years learning the craft, first assisting mother, then attempting their own nest off to the side. At 8 years or so, many young orangutans are building their own nests every night and sleeping next to their mother.

The mastery of nest building is a major milestone for the youngster who will soon head out to start adult life..

a life in the trees

As the worlds biggest tree-dwelling animal, large male orangutans can reach heights of well over 5 feet and weights of over 250 pounds, but they are like slow-motion acrobats when they make their way through the rainforest canopy.

With all of their food sources in the trees, orangutans have little reason to come down to earth. The thick connection of canopy trees form a continuous highway above the ground sometimes miles long.

Orangutans get the majority of the moisture they need from their fruit-filled diet, but drink fresh rainwater that has collected in the crooks of trees and on large leaves as well The Sumatran orangutan almost never comes down to the ground, except when water is scarce.

The bornean orangutan spends a little more time on the ground, and even females with youngsters may occasionally be found on the forest floor.

The most probable reason for this difference is the lack of tigers on the island of Borneo. Tigers are by far the biggest predator of orangutans in Sumatra, but on Borneo the greatest threat to adult orangutans is crocodile, and youngsters who wander too far may occasionally fall prey to clouded leopards..

When they do come to the ground they walk on all fours and appear very cumbersome. They may also scoot about on their rumps.

Orangutans are not knuckle-walkers like gorillas and chimps but instead walk on their palms or balled-up fists. In the trees their long curved fingers and toes serve as hooks to latch on from branch to branch in a style of locomotion called "brachiation".

When making their way through thin vines or flimsy vegetation the fingers are so long that they can curl around smaller branches almost 1 1/2 times to secure themselves. The tops of the first two digits of each finger lock against the inside of the palm in an orangutan super-grip.

Infants are born with this gripping instinct and can hold on to thin strands of hair with ease.

orangutan intelligence

All the great apes are extremely intelligent creatures, but the question of which non-human great ape is the most intelligent is often asked.

Among the great apes the gorilla, the bonobo and the orangutan live relatively peaceful lives compared to human beings and chimpanzees, and it is certainly possible that levels of expected conflict in daily life create minds that emphasize different gifts.

The chimpanzee is an organized hunter, regularly uses weapons like clubs and rocks,, and is generally a more active and busy creature than the relaxed and slow-moving orangutan.

This outward spark leads many to believe the chimp is the brightest of the great apes, and in scientific experiments that involve food rewards, chimps excel, but this may be because their natural lifestyle involves strenuous competition for food.

A recent, in-depth study of orangutans done in 2011, shed some light on just how intelligent orangutans may be. At a research facility in Indonesia, scientists from the University of Manchester spent an entire year observing, documenting and filming orangutans building nests. The study concluded that orangutans possess complex knowledge of mechanical design and material properties.

They select specific types of limbs when constructing the base of the nest, smaller, more flexible branches for the sides, and even have multiple additional structures they may build such as blankets, pillows and roofs.

Their nest building skills are more complex than any of the other non-human great apes, and the techniques are carefully taught from mother to youngster.

The creation of pillows out of soft shoots, and blankets out of large leaves was unique to orangutans and the attention to detail was astounding.

Orangutans have long been known to use any available item - mostly palm leaves, as umbrellas during rain showers, but their specific style of nest construction involves a complex series of steps, including the gathering of the correct materials, that appears to represent truly advanced thinking.

a few more orangutan facts

A group of orangutans is called a "congress"

The orangutan is the only great ape native to Asia

Orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling animals in the world

An orangutan has incredibly strong arms that are twice as long as its legs

Adult male orangutans develop large "cheek flanges" that are thick pads of fat that frame their faces

The orangutan is the only great ape that does not live in large groups

Orangutans share about 96.4% of our DNA

Orangutans love a fruit called Durian which smells like strong garlic

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Orangutan Facts - Animal Facts Encyclopedia

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Although the word orangutan may sound like a reference to the orangutans orange colored hair, it is actually a combination of two Malaysian words "orang" meaning "person" and "hutan" meaning "forest". These "people of the forest" are one of our closest relatives sharing over 96% of our DNA.

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Protect endangered species, including the orangutan, at World Wildlife Fund. Learn about the ways WWF works to conserve a future where people live in harmony with nature.

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Why palm oil kills orangutans – an animated short story

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Polar bears, or "sea bears," are the world's largest land predators, weighing up to 600 kg (1300 lb.) and measuring up to 3 m (10 ft.) tall. On average they live to be about 25 years old, reaching sexual maturity at around 4 years.

Although they appear white or yellow in color, their fur is actually clear and hollow, and their skin is black. Their visibly pale coloring is caused by the reflection and scattering of light.

Inhabiting the ice and sea of the Arctic, polar bears are well-equipped for survival in a harsh environment. Two coats of fur and a thick layer of blubber help insulate the polar bear's body from the cold, keeping its temperature at an even 37° C (98.6° F). In addition, polar bears' paws are especially adapted for walking on the ice and swimming in the sea. Hairs and bumps on the soles of their feet provide traction, while webbing between their toes allows for effective swimming strokes.

Polar bears are also equipped with strong noses. They use their powerful sense of smell when hunting for seals, their main source of food. They can smell a seal's breathing hole, or aglu, up to one mile away. Once located, a polar bear will wait patiently by the hole and attack the seal's head when it comes up for air. In ideal hunting conditions, the bear will just eat the seal fat, leaving the carcass for other animals. However, when food is scarce, polar bears will eat just about anything. Supplemental foods include walruses, short-legged reindeer, birds, bird eggs, kelp, and beached whales. When in proximity to human settlements, they have even been known to eat garbage such as Styrofoam.

Polar bears do not hibernate like other bears, but females do enter into a dormant state while pregnant. After mating in the spring, a female polar bear spends the summer ingesting large amounts of food and building a maternity den in a snow drift to prepare for the arrival of her cubs.

In the fall, she enters into a dormant state, remaining this way even as she gives birth. The litter, usually two cubs, will spend two years with their mother learning essential hunting and survival skills.

Conservation Status

Polar bears are currently listed as vulnerable by IUCN's Red List. Global warming greatly impacts the fate of the polar bear. A reduction of large masses of ice results in limited access to seals. Not only does this adversely affect the health of adult polar bears, it also hinders the successful reproduction and nourishment of new bear cubs. Rising temperatures also result in unstable maternity dens, as snowdrifts melt and collapse.

What You Can Do to Help

To help save the polar bear habitat, you can support the Climate Reality Project, which urges world leaders, companies, and communities to take action in curbing global warming.

Polar Bear Range

Polar Bear Resources

Blog Posts about the Polar Bear

About the Author

Abi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. When she's not writing about weird animal facts, Abi writes and illustrates funny books for kids. Her picture books, and Animals Go Vroom!, are available now from Viking Children's Books.

To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit www.abicushman.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AbiCushman and on Instagram at @Abi.Cushman.

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Although polar bears appear to be white or yellow, their fur is actually clear, and their skin is black. Learn more polar bear facts at Animal Fact Guide!

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Polar Bears for Kids | Wild Animals | Arctic Animals

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(Image credit: Julie Larsen Maher/Copyright WCS)

Red pandas are small mammals with long, fluffy tails and red and white markings. Though they share a name with the more famous giant panda, they are not closely related. In fact, the name 'panda' was first applied to these animals, and not to the larger black-and-white bear.

According to the San Diego Zoo, Frédéric Cuvier, a French zoologist, first described the red panda in 1825, about 48 years before the giant panda was cataloged. He called it the most beautiful animal he had ever seen and named it Ailurus fulgens, meaning fire-colored, or shining, cat. The common name, panda, may be derived from a Nepalese name for these animals, nigalya ponya, which may have meant 'bamboo footed.' The giant panda was given its name later because of similarities to the red panda.

Other names for the red panda include lesser panda, cat-bear, bear-cat, Himalayan raccoon, fox bear and firefox, according to the San Diego Zoo. The mascot of the Firefox Web browser is a red panda, according to Mozilla.

Red pandas were at first classified as relatives of raccoons in the Procyonidae family, because of physical similarities, such as the head, teeth and ringed tail, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo. Later, because of some DNA similarities, they were classified as bears in the Ursidae family. Recent genetic research now places them in their own family, Ailuridae. They have no living relatives, and their nearest fossil ancestors lived 3 million to 4 million years ago.

Size and description

Red pandas are similar in size to the common house cat. They are 20 to 26 inches (51 to 66 centimeters) long from head to rump, and their tail adds another 10 to 20 inches (25.4 to 51 cm). They weigh from 10 to 20 lbs. (4.5 to 9 kilograms).

Red pandas have large round heads and short snouts with large, pointed ears. Their coats are reddish-brown, although their faces are mostly white with reddish 'tear tracks' extending from their eyes to the corner of their mouths. These markings may help keep the sun out of their eyes, according to the National Zoo.

They have long, bushy tails with alternating red and white rings. The tail helps them maintain their balance as they climb trees. Long, sharp claws help them climb to the highest branches to sunbathe or escape from predators, according to the San Diego Zoo.

One feature that red pandas do share with giant pandas is a modified wrist bone that acts like a thumb, helping them grasp bamboo when feeding, according to the National Zoo.

Habitat and diet

Red pandas live in the mountains of Nepal, central China and northern Myanmar in rainy, high-altitude temperate forests and tropical forests, according to the National Zoo.

One important factor to their habitat is bamboo. The forest must have a bamboo understory for it to be viable for the red panda. Bamboo consists of 85 to 95 percent of their diet, according to the National Zoo. Red pandas eat bamboo shoots and bamboo leaf tips, stripping them off the stems with their mouths. They may also forage for roots, grasses and fallen fruits. Sometimes, they will eat eggs, insects, birds and small mammals as well, but they mostly stick to bamboo.

While it is a big part of their diet, red pandas can digest only about 24 percent of the bamboo they eat. They need to consume 20 to 30 percent of their body weight, or about 2 to 4 lbs. (1 to 2 kg) of bamboo shoots and leaves per day. One study found that female red pandas eat about 20,000 bamboo leaves a single day, according to the San Diego Zoo.

Habits

Red pandas are primarily crepuscular - active at dawn or dusk - but they can be active any time of the day, according to the National Zoo. They are solitary creatures; males are territorial and will mark their territory with strong odor from the scent gland at the base of their tail. Like skunks, red pandas can unleash the smell when they are scared to fend off a predator. If that doesn't work, they stand on their back feet and strike out with the claws on their front feet, according to the San Diego Zoo.

These creatures spend most of their time in trees, eating and sleeping without the need to step foot on soil. They also like to lie on branches to sunbathe as they sleep. It can get a bit chilly at night where the red pandas live, so to keep warm, they wrap themselves in their fluffy tails, according to National Geographic. When temperatures drop significantly, red pandas can become dormant. Their metabolic rate gets lower and increases only every few hours to wake them up so they can look for food, according to the National Zoo.

When they wake up, red pandas groom themselves like cats, according to the San Diego Zoo. They lick their front paws and use them to wipe down their fur instead of a full tongue-to-fur bath, though.

(Image credit: Karel Gallas Shutterstock)

Offspring

Female red pandas give birth during the spring and summer after a gestation period of 114 to 145 days, according to the National Zoo, although it may be as short as 90 days and as long as 158 days. Females build birthing dens in stumps, hollow trees or rock crevices. Dens are lined with grass, leaves, twigs, moss and small branches.

Females can have one to four young, though they usually have twins, according to the San Diego Zoo. The baby red pandas are called cubs. Cubs' eyes and ears are sealed until they are around 2 to 3 weeks of age. They nurse until they are 13 to 22 weeks old. They stay with their mothers in their birthing dens for about 90 days and reach maturity at 18 to 20 months. A typical life span for a red panda is 8 to 10 years in the wild and 15 years in zoos.

Classification

Here is the taxonomy of the red panda, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS):

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Carnivora Suborder: Caniformia Family: Ailuridae Genus and species: Ailurus fulgens Subspecies: Ailurus fulgens fulgens (found in the Himalayas), Ailurus fulgens refulgens (found in China)

Some taxonomists, as well as the ITIS and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), recognize two subspecies, while others argue for two separate species: the Himalayan red panda ( Ailurus fulgens) and the Chinese red panda ( Ailurus stanyi).

Conservation status

The red panda is considered endangered and is on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species. It is believed that the population has decreased by 50 percent over the past 18 years, and the decline is projected to continue and perhaps intensify in the next three generations. The number of adults in the wild is probably about 10,000 animals, according to the San Diego Zoo, although some estimates put the number at only 2,500.

The population decline is almost solely due to deforestation. Hunting also seems to be increasing, the IUCN says, perhaps partly in response to the increasing number of 'cute' images on social media. There are now worldwide efforts to protect the red panda, according to the San Diego Zoo. In China, there are 35 protected areas; in India, there are 20. There are eight in Nepal and five in Bhutan.
Additional Resources

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Alina Bradford - Live Science Contributor

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(Image credit: Julie Larsen Maher/Copyright WCS) Red pandas are small mammals with long, fluffy tails and red and white markings. Though they share a name with the more famous giant panda, they are not closely related. In fact, the name 'panda' was first applied to these animals, and not to the larger black-and-white bear.

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Enjoy these amazing facts about Sumatran tigers. From their history to their impressive hunting skills, there's always something new to learn about everyone's favourite big cat!
1. They are the smallest tigers

There are five tiger subspecies and Sumatran tigers are the smallest.

2. They're under threat in the wild

Conservationists estimate that there could be as few as 300 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.

3. Cubs learn to hunt quickly

Tiger cubs will start hunting from as young as one year old, but they'll stay with their mother until they're two years old.

4. They've been around for 2 million years!

Fossils of tiger remains in China show that tigers could be over 2 million years old!

5. They love water

Unlike like most of their cousins, tigers love swimming and will frequently cool off by having a dip in nearby rivers.

6. They're unique

No two tigers are ever the same; each has its own unique stripe pattern.

7. They're loud!

A tiger's roar is so loud that is can be heard from two miles away!

8. They have narrow stripes

Sumatran tigers have the narrowest black stripes of any tiger subspecies. This is because they are ambush predators in the Indonesian jungle and need to blend in amongst the thick vegetation.

9. They can jump!

Tigers are excellent jumpers. Even when sitting down, a tiger can leap forward 10 metres!

10. They have five different types of whiskers

These whiskers pick up on vibrations their prey makes when moving through the jungle.

11. They have a strong bite

A tiger can bite down with the force of 1000 pounds!

12. The collective noun is a streak

A group of tigers is known as an 'ambush' or a 'streak'.
Learn more about our amazing Sumatran tigers with a visit to Tiger Territory. Visit ZSL London Zoo

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12 Amazing Things You Never Knew About Sumatran Tigers

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Enjoy these amazing facts about Sumatran tigers. From their history to their impressive hunting skills, there's always something new to learn about everyone's favourite big cat! There are five tiger subspecies and Sumatran tigers are the smallest. Conservationists estimate that there could be as few as 300 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.

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In 2020, 79%
of our income supported sustainability programs. Learn More »

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The smallest of all living tigers, the Sumatran tiger weighs 260 pounds on average and is up to eight feet long. Its orange and black stripes—narrower than those found on other tiger subspecies*—help to distinguish this particular feline. Webbing between its toes makes the Sumatran tiger an adept sw…

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Whale Shark Facts For Kids - Complete Whale Shark Information

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Complete set of Whale Shark Facts for Kids that will provide you all the Whale Shark Information you need. You are going to learn about its name, anatomy, size, weight, diet, habitat, speed, lifecycle, reproduction, size comparison, range , migration and other interesting information.

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Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island | National Geographic

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford’s startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, wit…

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford’s startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, wit…

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Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford's startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, with time-embedded activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Backed by AT&T and Stanford’s startX, PlayPosit is an online learning environment to create and share interactive video lessons. Teachers begin with any online video (screencasts, Khan Academy, TED, etc.) and transform what is traditionally passive content into an active experience for students, wit…

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Use this powerpoint to fill out the handout 

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Use this powerpoint to fill out the handout 

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Bill Nye the Science Guy  0312 Ocean Life