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SO CUTE.

(Source: dailyotter)

abluegirl:

Pangolins are my favorite odd creature.  They are covered in tough,overlapping scales, and eat ants and termites with a long sticky tongue.  They can roll themselves into a ball like a hedgehog or potato bug when threatened, and are rather adorable.  The are found in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa , and unfortunately are one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world. 

Just some cute silky anteater cuteness before bed.

accioharo:

endangered-animals:

THE VOLCANO RABBIT (Romerolagus diazi)

STATUS: ENDANGERED

The Volcano Rabbit also known as teporingo or zacatuche (Romerolagus diazi) is a small rabbit that resides in the mountains of Mexico. It is the world’s second smallest rabbit, second only to the Pygmy Rabbit. It has small rounded ears, short legs, and short, thick fur. The Volcano Rabbit lives in groups of 2 to 5 animals in burrows. Unlike many species of rabbits (and similar to pikas), the Volcano Rabbit utters very high-pitched sounds instead of thumping its feet on the ground to warn other rabbits of danger. It is nocturnal and is highly active during twilight, dawn and all times in between. The Volcano Rabbit weighs approximately 390–600 g (14–21 oz). [wikipedia]

Current Status: The population of the Volcano Rabbit is increasing. Captive breeding programs are in place, but infant mortality rates are high. The IUCN recommends focusing on habitat management and the enforcement of laws put in place to protect the rabbits. [IUCN Listing]

Kelly’s Comment: I just found out about these little babies recently, and I fell in love with them. I have a major soft spot for small animals, and these guys just hit it. They have a very specific, very small ecosystem (found only around four volcanoes in Mexico), but the rabbits live close to the Mexico City metropolis, and thus are in constant danger of habitat degradation. Hopefully these beautiful babies can recover! 

I MADE THE BLOG. Sharing it with Abarero, who will also be posting and maintaining. Please follow. Enjoy our first post. Bunnies. <3

endangered-animals:

 PANAMANIAN GOLDEN FROG (Atelopus zeteki)

 STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED 

The Panamanian golden frog is a critically endangered toad which is endemic to Panama. The Panamanian golden frog is the national animal of Panama and is thought to bring good luck, which is why it is frequently pictured on Panamanian lottery tickets. While most frogs are known for their croaking and vocalizations, the Panamanian golden frog prefers semaphoring over vocalization; semaphoring is a hand-wave used to grab the attention of other frogs. Their preference for semaphoring is probably a natural adaptation to the noisiness of their environment. While the IUCN still lists it as critically endangered, it may have been extinct in the wild since 2007. Individuals have been collected for breeding in captivity in a bid to preserve the species. [wikipedia]

Current Status:  The species was filmed for the very last time in the wild in 2007 by the BBC Natural History Unit for the series Life in Cold Blood by David Attenborough. The remaining few specimens were taken into captivity and the location of filming was kept secret to protect them from potential poachers.  

Populations of amphibians, including the golden frog, suffered major declines possibly due to the fungal infection, chytridiomycosis, which is an invasive fungal pathogen that reached El Valle, the home of the Panamanian Golden Frog in 2006.Additional factors, such as habitat loss and pollution, may have also played a role. [ICUN Listing] 

Jennie’s Comment: To biologists, amphibians are pretty much the environmental version of the “canaries in the coal mine.” When any ecosystem starts to tip out of balance, these guys are the first to be affected. So in situations like this where frogs or salamanders begin to die due to habit loss and disease, it means that widescale ecological devastation may be under way.

 More amphibian species are under threat than any single animal group, 1,811 species (which is around 31% of all known amphibians) according to the IUCN. The people of Panama believe it’s good luck to see one of these golden frogs and I hope that they become luckier themselves.

If you would like to see the BBC footage of the last ones known in the wild, it’s available here.

 Some love for the amphibians.

endangered-animals:

MARBLED MURRELET (Brachyramphus marmoratus)

STATUS: ENDANGERED

The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow. Its habit of nesting in trees was suspected but not documented until a tree-climber found a chick in 1974 making it one of the last North American bird species to have its nest described. The Marbled Murrelet has experienced declines in their numbers since humans began logging their nest trees beginning in the latter half of the 19th century. The decline of the Marbled Murrelet and its association with old-growth forests have made it a flagship species in the forest preservation movement. (wikipedia)

Current Status: This species is still abundant, but it is treated as Endangered because its population is estimated to have undergone a very rapid reduction over three generations (36 years), owing to a variety of threats. This decline is likely to continue. (iucn)

Kelly’s Comment: I struggled to find good photos of these little guys, but I thought they were really charming, so I persevered! They were actually just added to the IUCN Red List in 2004. Hopefully they’ll soon be off of it. 

omg the baby one is so puffy. Such pretty birds~

Dolphins see themselves in a mirror [x]

(via live-it-out)

endangered-animals:

SYRIAN HAMSTER (Mesocricetus auratus)

STATUS: VULNERABLE

The golden hamster or Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is a very well known member of the rodent subfamily Cricetinae, the hamsters. In the wild they are now considered vulnerable. Their numbers have been in decline due to loss of habitat (caused by agriculture) and deliberate destruction by humans. However, they are popular as pets and scientific research animals. Adults grow from 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm) in length, and have an average lifespan of 1000 days or 2 to 3 years. The golden hamster is a crepuscular animal. Hamsters sleep during the day in the deepest part of their burrow to avoid predators. They tend to wake up just after sunset, late at night and at dawn, which leads some to falsely describe them as nocturnal. (wikipedia)

Current Status: This species has a small range (extent of occurrence is definitely less than 20,000 km² and potentially less than 5,000 km²) and is restricted to a small, fragmented area on the Turkish/Syrian border. The species is undergoing continuing decline from habitat loss (due to agriculture) and persecution. Population densities are believed to be low. In Turkey, the species is very rare; only three localities are known. There may be fewer than 2,500 mature individuals in the population, but more data are required to confirm this. (IUCN) 

Kelly’s Comment: Some of you may be shocked to see these little guys on the list. In this case, despite their popularity as pets, it has nothing to do with the pet trade. In fact, all domestic hamsters in captivity throughout the US come from either one mother hamster and her litter or a pair of brother and sister hamsters (there are conflicting reports) taken from the wild in the 1930s. In Syria, hamsters are considered an agricultural pest, and unfortunately for them, there are no conservation measures protecting them. Also, it is difficult to survey the population of these creatures since much of their range is within a military zone on the border of Syria and Turkey. Hamsters are my absolute favorite animals. I’ve had them as pets since I was quite young, so it really broke my heart when I found out their status in the wild. Not only are they endangered, but scientists barely know anything about the way they live in the wild. I was actually only able to find one photo of a wild Syrian Hamster! The other images I’ve chosen are domestic hamsters that I felt reflected the colorization of the wild hamster best (although a couple are long-haired, something that only occurs in domestic hamsters. I also believe the white banding on the center is a domestic only trait).

Photo Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.