A sound of the night and a reptile on the brink.

Hello everyone and welcome to my latest blog. I hope you have had a good week and with the weekend approaching you are looking forward to a well-earned rest! This week I talk about a sound I have heard often but the bird responsible for it has always eluded me and the case of a very rare reptile which faces a uncertain future. As always I hope you enjoy and feel free to give feedback on what you enjoy and what you would like to see improved.

                                                                A sound of the night.

It's late, and the daylight has long been replaced with the black of night, diurnal birds  have sought the sanctuary of a safe roosts well covered by dense vegetation hoping this will be enough to ensure their survival for another night. Suddenly an unmistakable sound which has many times woken me from my sleep pierces the darkness a sharp "kewick" is just one of many variations of vocalisation from the bird in question. That bird is the Tawny Owl, and it's calling in the woodland not far from our house again and it sounds like there is more than one. The more familiar owl noise now accompany it and it really is enjoyable to be able to listen to the secretive private life of the owl as it goes about its nocturnal business, terrorising unfortunate rodents which chose the wrong moment to break cover exposing themselves to the owls lethal talons.

I would love to be able to tell you how gracefully they fly in the wild, but I can't. As often as I have been woken up and kept awake by this nocturnal choir I have not once been privileged enough to catch a glimpse of this mysterious bird of prey.  When I look at the woodland the next morning I imagine where they might be and my main feeling is not disappointment at not yet seeing one, I do feel very grateful however to of been allowed an small insight into their world as natures schedules to not allow for outsiders, so maybe one day if I'm lucky I may just be in the right place at the right time.

                                            Five facts about Tawny Owls Strix aluco.

1)  Female Tawny Owls are 20 -40 % heavier than males and have a wingspan ranging from 5-10 % percent longer.

2) The Tawny Owl is the most common and widespread Owl in Europe (and still I have not seen one).

3) The Tawny Owl feeds on a large amount of rodents, but will also take small birds, frogs, insects and worms.

4) There are an estimated 19, 400 breeding pairs of Tawny Owls in the UK.

5)  An adult Tawny Owl has at least 10 different vocalisations and young individuals 5 different vocalisations.

                            Facts courtesy of the World Owl Trust and RSPB.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tawny+owl&view=detail&id=A0E7629B8F6795CE3962DEA7A309428937194015

                       Endangered Species : Orinoco Crocodile Crocodylus intermedius.

Powerful, prehistoric, intelligent and critically endangered are all words which describe the Orinoco Crocodile, and when crocodiles all over the world face various struggles to survive the knowledge that this species is ranked as one of the most endangered of all the crocodilian family is a stark indicator of the battle the species faces for survival.

Orinoco Crocodiles are found in Colombia and Venezuela inhabiting freshwater riverines in particular as the name suggests the Orinoco River. During the dry season as the water levels drop to very low levels, an example of the crocodiles ability to adapt and survive which has helped them to outlive the dinosaurs is demonstrated. By retreating into tunnels excavated in the river banks, they are able to find the small remaining areas of water enough to help them survive these tough times. Orinco Crocodiles diet varies in relation to size, for example juveniles feed mainly on small fish and invertebrates while adults take much larger prey including land mammals such as capybara as well as birds and larger fish.  During January and February which always coincides with the dry season,  holes are excavated for egg laying where anywhere between 15 and 70 eggs are laid. Such a large number of eggs may be at least partly because of the threat of Tegu Lizards and Vultures. The hatching of the eggs is timed perfectly with the arrival of the wet season and the inevitable rise of water levels.

So what threats face the Orinoco Crocodile? Yet again the recurring theme of human destruction is the main reason a species is in such trouble and this is the case for the Orinoco Crocodile. It's problems really started in the period of 1930-1960 where due to horrendous persecution for their skin which happened particularly in the driest parts of the year at their most vulnerable time due to the ease at finding them in their burrows. Their population has never really recovered from this and the threats which existed them still exist now adding to the already large number of problems facing the species. These include: illegal killing for meat, eggs being stolen, juveniles captured and sold on markets, teeth sold for medicine and of course habitat destruction which has reduced its range to a tiny proportion of what it formerly was. Competition for food and habitat with Caimans are now also causing more problems.

What is being done to help the species?  Currently preservation of suitable habitat is being undertaken in Venezuela, with reintroduction plans underway with further monitoring required. If the same could be done in Columbia to go alongside their experimental release programme these would be huge steps in the right direction. Stricter protection on the species itself against hunting needs to be undertaken however as with a population as restricted as the Orinoco Crocodiles is, every individual lost is a huge blow.

If we do not want to lose a species which belongs to a family of animals which have outlived the dinosaurs then dramatic, determined and prolonged measures need to be taken. If not then once again a species could be consigned to the history books, leaving us with the thoughts that we could have and should have done more to help.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/crocroger/3515940387/

Facts in this article were sourced from the Crocodilian Species List.           

That is all from myself for another week, I really hope you enjoyed it and have a good weekend!

George.                                       













Birds of Prey.

Hello everyone and welcome to my latest blog. I hope you are looking forward to a hopefully relaxing weekend. This focus of this week’s blog is on birds of prey. Starting with an introduction to a section which as the month progresses will go into more detail on Owls. Followed a little on the harsh reality of nature and finished off with the usual endangered section of the blog this time drawing attention to the Philippine Eagle.

                           

                                                                      Owls.

I remember when I saw a Barn Owl in the wild for the first time. Its ghostly wide underbelly even more striking against the dark night sky as it flew effortlessly and silently over the field close to our car searching for rodents unaware of the approaching danger. It was an experience that has always stayed with me and still remains one of my all time wildlife spotting highlights. Over the course of this month I highlight an owl species native and in some cases unnative which inhabit Britain. As you will probably have assumed this week Barn Owls take centre stage, here are some facts you may or may not know about them.

1) The Barn Owl is also known by its other names of White Owl and the Screech Owl.

2) Barn Owls do not hoot they screech which is the reason they have been sometime referred to as the Screech Owl.

3) The diet of the Barn Owl consists of predominately rodents however they will also take young rabbits, moles, birds and frogs.

4) Other noises Barn Owls are capable of making include hissing, snapping and snoring.

5) Barn Owls in North Europe tend to be darker in colour than those in Britain.

Facts sourced from BBC Nature.

 

                                     

 http://www.ardgrain.com/files/images/un-noded/barn-owls/barn-owl-02.jpg

                                                     A harsh reminder of nature.

Looking through stories  about our birds of prey here in Britain I came across this from summer just passed,  reminder that nature can seem harsh.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2165920/Caught-camera-The-shocking-moment-Osprey-chick-plucked-nest-buzzard.html

Although the loss of a young individual of a species struggling to establish a large breeding population in Britain, is always sad this is the sort of occurrence that happens in nature on a regular basis. Anyone feeling anger towards the Buzzard over it’s act of predation, it's important to remember the Buzzard isn't doing it for fun, it's doing it to survive. This leads me to my main grumble about the article, although the pictures are fascinating, the phrase “the shocking moment” irritates me. It's not shocking it's a completely natural act of nature and a reminder that in the wild there are no rules or guidelines for animals to follow, and the sooner people accept that the better.

                                              Endangered Species : Philippine Eagle.

The Philippine Eagle is ranked by the IUCN as critically endangered. This is unsurprising as it has an incredibly small population as a result of a severe decline over the past three generations. Again unsurprisingly, one of the main reasons behind this decline are man made problems in this case severe deforestation. Is anyone noticing than man made problems seem to feature heavily in this section of the blog?

The Philippine Eagle is a huge bird, in fact the largest living Eagle in terms of length in the world. On top of this it has a wingspan of two meters and have a greater surface area than any other Eagle.

As the name suggests, the Philippine Eagle is endemic to the Philippine Islands with the largest part of the population of the species is thought to be in Mindanao where an estimated 82 -233 breeding pairs live. It is thought there is a maximum of 750 individuals left in the wild.

The Philippine Eagle has a habitat of choice is typically primary dipterocarp forest this is especially the case in terrain where the incline is steep. They can also less frequently be seen in secondary growth and gallery forest.

The  diet of this species is varied proving previous theories that it fed exclusively on monkeys incorrect. Such was the assumption it was even given the additional name of Monkey- eating Eagle. More recent research however has proven that prey preference differs from island to island for example the Eagles of Mindanao are Philippine Flying Lemurs, however on other islands where the species are less abundant other prey species including small mammals, reptiles and birds, such as snakes, monitor lizards, hornbills ,and owls. There have even been reports of dogs and young pigs being taken. The eagle does of course hunt monkeys as well and it has been documented to hunt cooperatively in pairs when attacking a troop.

The threats to the Philippine Eagle are unfortunately large, very prominent and once again largely thanks to the interference of man. As a result of one pair of breeding Eagles needing a range of twenty five to fifty square miles to successfully raise a chick, they are hugely at risk of deforestation. Of which there is plenty.

The forest they depend on is lost at an alarming rate, exposure to pesticides affect breeding success rates mining and of course the main example of how mans greed continues to destroy the natural world possibly forever poaching is a massive threat. The birds are also occasionally accidently caught in traps by local people intending to catch deer.

The future is not bright for this magnificent bird but efforts are being made to change this the Philippine Eagle Foundation see link below, are currently doing fantastic work trying to save a species  which desperately needs our help through successful captive breeding, and finding ways such as adoption to fund more research into saving the Philippine Eagle.  Protected lands such as the Cabuaya Forest have recently been established although sadly the large majority of the population still live on unprotected land. Killing a Philippine Eagle is now punishable by up to twelve years imprisonment under Philippine law a large deterrent which will hopefully prove successful.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVLxizn7D3F1fb_Hn-EOeSJd8FVJl6E_J7gNCAuJw7Snc4PRmrulIuRMHCU8iePMalhIjRe37ur-2gVaCJdPTSBBLclE_GcXv8m9qd65VwsvJZFkZN5bKhpsOqFwrHyknjylka3OrBvDs/s400/philippine+eagle.jpg

 http://www.philippineeagle.org/index?pageval=help

That’s it for this week I hope you have a good weekend and I will check in again this time next week !

George.

The fight for survival of the Dhole and my book recomendations.

Hello and welcome everyone to my latest blog. I hope you have all had a good weekend and are suitably refreshed and ready for the start of a new week. This week I recommend some reading material which you may enjoy as well as highlighting the case of the Dhole the focus of my endangered species section. So as always I hope you enjoy reading it!

                                                      Book recommendations.

After recently re reading Peter Allison's How To Walk a Puma: And Other Things I Learned While Stumbling Through South America I felt suitably inspired. A fascinating and entertaining book on his adventures travelling through South America for 18 months, needless to say his experiences walking a half wild Puma are very entertaining! There is plenty more to the book than this however and I thoroughly recommend reading it for yourself.

Equally Brilliant are his other books Don't run, Whatever You Do: My Adventures as a Safari Guide and Don't Look Behind You: True Tales of a Safari Guide. These are based on his time working out in Africa as a guide and are equally worth a read.

Also well worth a read are the books from the sadly recently passed Lawrence Anthony. His work in conservation in his homeland of South Africa his brave and instrumental work in rescuing Baghdad zoo and again showing unbelievable bravery to face rebel leaders in the Congo to fight against the illegal trade of Rhino horns.

The titles for these books are as follows: The Last Rhinos: The Powerful Story of One Man's Battle to Save a Species.

The Elephant Whisperer: Learning About Life, Loyalty and Freedom From a Remarkable Herd of Elephants.

Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo.

                                            The fight for survival of the Dhole.

The Dhole may not be as well known and receive less publicity than other members of the canine family such as the African Hunting Dog but this does not mean the threat of extinction for this species is any less real, classified by the IUCN as endangered the species is in serious trouble. Living in the forest and mountainous areas habitats with its highest densities in population thought to be in central and southern India. The Dhole roughly the size of a Border Collie, hunts in packs of up to forty and is an efficient predator, taking prey up to the size of a Banteng a large bovid and have the courage to take on prey which could inflict serious injury such as Wild Boar. Reaching sexual maturity at a year old, litter size can be up to twelve pups with the breeding season lasting from November to April the gestation period lasting roughly sixty three days.

So what are the reasons this charismatic species is in such trouble? As you may already of guessed man has and continues to inflict serious trouble on an already declining species. Habitat destruction has been enormous and the range of the Dholes distribution has been reduced to just a tiny fraction of what it once was. Pressure for more land to develop agriculture as well as persistent logging, dam construction and the demand for firewood have all contributed towards the current predicament facing the Dhole. On top of this the large amount of poaching of prey species in the few remaining suitable areas of Dhole habitat continue to increase an already dire situation.

Human persecution is another reason why the populations are now so critically small. For a long time seen as vermin they were trapped, shot and poisoned and up until as recently as 1972 in India people were rewarded with money for every individual killed. This quote from a Pythian-Adams in 1949 who unbelievably called himself a naturalist shows an example of then attitudes towards the species "Except for his handsome appearance, the wild dog has not a single redeeming feature, and no effort, fair or foul, should be spared to destroy these pests of the jungle". Even today attitudes have not improved to dramatically as a result of continually encroaching agriculture of Dhole habitat, livestock is occasionally taken and inevitably this leads to a retaliation resulting poorly for the Dhole.

What is being done to help the species? In 1972 the Dhole was declared a protected species and there are now surveys people who have recently seen Dholes are asked to fill in answering questions on vital information with the aim of the results leading to a thorough conservation effort to protect the species.

These are steps in the right direction but serious help to the species needs to be given if we do not want to one day lose them forever.

You can read more about Dholes by following the link http://www.cuon.net/dholes/

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhole (Image)

Well, that's all from me for this week I hope you enjoyed it and have a good week!

George.

Where it all began and the plight of the Amur Leopard.

Hello everyone and welcome to my latest blog. I hope you all had a good week and are enjoying the weekend even if the temperatures have noticeably dropped! This week I look back on where my fascination of the natural world began as well as taking a look at the struggles of a species of particular fondness to myself, the Amur Leopard, as always I hope you enjoy reading about it.

In the Beginning.

.

It's hard looking back to remember exactly what triggered my fascination with the beauty of the natural world, all I know is from a very young age if it walked, crawled, flew or swam I was fascinated by it. On top of this I had an obsession for fossils in particular those of Dinosaurs (an interest which has yet to leave me and doubt it ever will). However as finding real fossils was a highly unrealistic aim for a child of my age, I instead took great delight in trips to the Natural History Museum and other scientific establishments, which gave me an opportunity to get up close to some quite unbelievable sights. These trips often ended in a trip to the gift shop and this would be another highlight of my day as I could often be seen clutching proudly a new model dinosaur.

Birds played the biggest part however in engaging me in the natural world and, at the age of six one Christmas I was presented with a bird table which provided years of happiness as various species ranging from the ever reliable robins, starlings and various members of the finch such as the green and tit family’s such as the blue came to visit. Occasionally rarer species such as the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker or Goldcrest would come to visit the garden and if we were lucky land and feed on the bird table prompting scenes of excitement in the house as everyone strained for a better view. Sadly however frequent battering from the weather and the less than subtle Rooks and other larger bird species which persisted on landing on the bird table to feed despite their struggles to balance properly meant that eventually my bird table needed to be replaced, but I will always remember those early days and forever be thankful for that bird table and the happiness it brought to all.

As I have grown older I have continued to grow though phases of being almost obsessive in my fascination for particular groups of species. As previously mentioned dinosaurs and birds in general (later specifically becoming birds of prey) were the early stages of my appreciation and understanding of the species we share the planet with. Later just some of the groups of animals, which particulary caught my imagination, included: snakes (in particular venomous), sharks, big cats and large herbivores. Of course my appreciation for the entire natural world would never diminish and as I did then I still get as much enjoyment reading about or watching any animal however big or small they may be.

Of course world famous and hugely inspirational figures also played a huge role in  my education and understanding of what surrounds us. Sir David Attenborough doubtless an inspiration to everyone involved in working in the natural world and even those who are not was and still is a regular on the television screen in our household as were other figures such as Jonathan Scott and Simon King two of the main presenters to one of my favourite programmes growing up Big Cat Diary. Steve Irwin was another who despite his sometimes controversial methods behaviour did a huge amount in educating people about animals they may other wise not get to see and as a result never get to properly understand. He also did marvellous work in educating the public and helping ease their fears about potentially dangerous animals and as a result his programmes were always looked forward to.

It was television, which provided my brother and myself with a brief moment in the media spotlight. We took part in a starling survey organised by Blue Peter and sent out results in thinking nothing more of it apart from playing a small part in some important research. A couple of weeks later a message left on our answer phone asked for a picture of each of us to be sent in. We were then sent a Blue Peter badge and a signed photo of the presenters while our picture briefly aired on screen to millions of people as reward for taking part in the survey!

As I have grown older I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to become more and more involved in conservation as well as being given the chance to study something I love. I have been fortunate enough to visit the beautiful country of South Africa (which I am returning to next year) as well as now studying a Bsc in Applied Zoology. When I look back I have a lot to be grateful for, the huge box of plastic animals may no longer take pride of place in my room, but they still remain in the house and serve as a reminder of the patience shown from my family, as I insisted on visiting the same places time and time again and picking up a collectible along the way! One thing I know for certain my love for the natural world will never leave me.


 

I always loved spending time here!
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=515&tbm=isch&tbnid=GfnvptXy6Y_LIM:&imgrefurl=http://www.london-attractions.info/natural-history-museum.htm&docid=oPv9VgtOTfcaFM&imgurl=http://www.london-attractions.info/images/attractions/natural-history-museum.jpg&w=460&h=288&ei=QUqMULPKJPKY0QX81ICwCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=78&sig=102914425864501052659&page=1&tbnh=116&tbnw=186&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:146&tx=71&ty=33

 

                                               The Struggle of the Amur Leopard.

The Amur Leopard is on the brink of extinction. I can't think of a way it can be put any differently that will make it's situation sound any less desperate. With an estimated 35 individuals left in the wild and most of these found in a 5,000 sq Kilometer area between the Vladivostok and the Chinese border with a few individuals living in the Jilin and Heiongjiang provinces of NE China with the possibility of a small number also living in North Korea. It makes me very sad to think how their situation has been allowed to get so bad. It is little wonder they are the most endangered big cat in the world.

The threats that face these beautiful cats are sadly similar threats, which threaten so many species all over the globe. Loss of habitat due to deforestation, forest fire and the increased demand in areas for agriculture mean their natural habitat has been seriously diminished.  Their natural prey species such as Sika Deer being over hunted forces them to turn to other prey sources, and if they are in short supply brings them into conflict with people in search of livestock, which inevitably, ends poorly for the Amur Leopard more often than not. The threat, which makes my blood boil the most, however is the persecution of these animals for their magnificent fur coats and their bones for tradiitonal Asian medicines.

Through WWF however efforts are being made to try and save this charismatic species before we lose them forever resigning yet another animal to the history books never to be seen by future generations.

   By working with groups of people such as regional authorities, the goverment and local communities in       the small area of remaining prime Amur Leopard habitat of the Amur - Heilong region, valauble work such as attempting to replenish numbers of suitable prey animals, increasing protected areas and clamping down harder on illegal logging. And this leads me to why these beautiful animals have such personal importance to myself. Over the last 18 months, I have had the priveledge of knowing that somewhere out there is an Amur Leopard I have adopted. I recieve regular updates about how "my " Leopard is doing as well as general news on the progress WWF are making in their conservation efforts. It feels great to know in some small way I am helping to contribute towards their plight improving. Let's just hope one day we can all look back and say what a fantastic success story!

https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-a-leopard Here is the link if anyone would like to know more or is interested in adopting :)

A truly beautiful animal. Image taken from WWF

That's it for this week everybody I hope you enjoyed it, enjoy what is left of the weekend and I will be back next week,

all the best George.

Photographers, endangered animals, and a little from myself.

Photographers, endangered animals and a little from myself

Hello and welcome to my latest blog. What a week! I can't remember having a week as busy as the one just passed for quite some time. I hope you all have been having a good week yourselves and are now enjoying the weekend.

 

I start my blog off this week by pointing you towards the amazing work of some highly talented photographers who entered and were subsequently recognised and rewarded for their work when the final judging took place in the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.. A mention should go to Matthew Button for bringing this article to my attention, so please take the time to appreciate these exceptionally talented photographers work.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2012/oct/18/veolia-environnement-wildlife-photographer-2012-in-pictures

 

Endangered Animals Part 2: Four - toed Terrapin Batagur baska

 

The Four -toed Terrapin is classified as critically endangered and thirty ninth overall in the hundred most endangered species on the planet by the IUCN and the Zoological Society of London. This species of Terrapin are separated from all other species of Terrapin as a result of having four rather than five claws on the forelimb, hence the name Four-toed Terrapin. The Terrapin prefers estuaries and coastal habitats, feeding on aquatic plants and animals such as clams. The distribution of the species is known to include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, India and Indonesia. It has been declared extinct in Viet Nam, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

Numerous threats mean the future of the species is bleak. These include harvesting of eggs, pollution, accidental deaths caused by power boats, loss of Mangrove Forest, loss of suitable nesting beaches and the decline in food supplies. One of the main actions taken to protect the Four -toed Terrapin was to include it in the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. This is the main law put in place to protect rare species in India.

 http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife1.html
The future looks bleak however unless more is done to protect them from habitat loss, human predation and all the other threats they face unsurprisingly most of these are man made problems.

 Information for this section was found for the following links.

Image copyrights: Asian Turtle Conservation Network

http://indianbiodiversitytalk.blogspot.co.uke/2012/09/Great-Indian-Bustard-Four-Toed-Terrapin-White-Bellied-Heron-Gooty-Tarantula-among-the-100-m
ost-threatened-animals.html
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/2614/0
http://www.biosearch.in/publicOrganismPage.php?id=131440

Finally from myself, did anyone here about this recently? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19812064   What a turnaround for an animal that for long periods of time has been feared by people, as it now comes to light  could provide a huge amount of medical benefit to people. I believe that any species that faces problems should be properly looked after and conserved and with this new possiblity coming to light it can only help their cause.

That's it from me have a good week and I will be back next Friday with my latest blog,
George.

 

 

 

 

 

Endangered Species Part 1.

                                                                   Endangered Species Part 1.
 

Hello everybody and welcome, to my latest blog. This week signals the start to a section which will highlight the plight of an endangered animal.  This week takes a detailed look at the struggle to survive for the Angel Shark, I really hope you enjoy it. 

                                                        Angel Shark Squatina squatina

This bottom dwelling species of shark is currently ranked the ninety fourth most endangered species in the world according to the IUCN and the Zoological Society of London. This bottom dwelling species of shark belongs to the family Squatinidae. Its diet as a involves a lot of crustaceans and molluscs but will also take fish, eelgrass and even sea birds have been recorded. The Angel Shark is oviviviparous meaning they give birth to live young and can at any one time produce up to twenty five offspring. The Angel Shark is largely nocturnal and rests torpid during the daytime on the sea bottom.

Over the past 50 years, the population of the Angel Shark has diminished at an alarming rate, so much so in fact that it has been now been declared extinct in the North Sea, and its population had been severely damaged in huge areas of the Northern Mediterranean The overall population throughout the rest of its original range is also severely depleted, the only possible exception to this is thought to be in the Southern Mediterranean and Canary Islands where further study’s need to take place to establish a better understanding of their population in this area.

One of the most prominent and devastating threats to Angel Sharks comes as a direct result of their lifestyle. Being a bottom feeding species, means it’s highly likely to be caught as by catch in trawls, trammel nets and bottom long lines. Human interference through tourism and habitat loss to its preferred habitat of sandy close to shore habitat.

So what protection has the Angel Shark been granted? The Angel shark has been given protection in three marine reserves in the Balearic Islands as a result of this fishing for the whole genus of Squinata has now been banned. In 2010 the Angel Shark, was listed under the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act. This means they are protected from either killing, injuring or taking onto land as well as being protected from up to three nautical miles from the English Coastal baseline. The Angel Shark is also listed on the Annex 111 of the Barcelona Convention.

But the despite this the future for this beautiful shark looks bleak and it is of no surprise to find them under the category of Critically Endangered. Unless more steps are taken to save this species we may one day be reduced to looking at pictures of them in a history book resigned to the same thought we have certainly had for many other now extinct species, "we could have done more".

Facts taken from this blog came from http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39332/0



Angel Shark Squatina squatina
http://www.animalport.com/pictures/Angel-Shark/wallpapers/thumbs/Angel-Shark-03.jpg

And here's another sobering article I found...www.businessinsider.com/extinct-animals-2011-11

Thats all for this week everyone, I hope you have a good weekend and I will be back next Friday with my latest installment.

The plight of the Slow Loris and some exciting news.

                                   The plight of the Slow Loris and some exciting news.

Hello everyone and welcome to my latest log, and this time thanks to my good friend Matt Ward I am able to bring you a detailed and interesting report on the plight of the Slow Loris which Matt recently spent time helping with highly important, rewarding and at times challenging research into better preserving these fascinating Prosimians.

The Little Fireface Project, Lethal Lorises. ( Written by Matt Ward)

In the face of encroaching human presence, habitat destruction and illegal trade the Javan Slow Loris (nycticebus Javanicus) is ever declining and facing extinction in the wild. This species is very cute and unfortunately for it has been the star of many You Tube videos but it is also a very interesting animal crucial to its environment. A member of the prosimian order of primate’s lorises are a SE Asian family that include several species of Indonesian Slow lorises, Slender loris, Bengal loris and Pygmy slow loris. The slow loris has a varied diet including fruit, leaves, nectar, small insects, gum (sap-not gummy bears), frogs and occasional mammals. One of the aspects that make these animals so special is that this diet may vary widely depending on location and even individual differences. Over observations some animals were seen to feed almost entirely on nectar of the Kaliandre flower where as others would carve out grooves in specific tree species to access high sugar gum. These animals are also very unusual in mammalian circles because they are one of the few Venomous mammals. The venom itself is very strange as it is a combination of compounds that come from a gland secretion on the upper arm mixed with its saliva. Upon this mix the new material is toxic both upon ingestion (poisonous) and through the bite of the individual (venomous). There are several theories as to the reasons for the venom and this one of the major driving points behind the ongoing field study on them in West Java. The study was initiated in joint between Oxford Brookes University and the International Animal Rescue centre in Ciapus, West Java. As the field study is still in progress the details of the methods, field site and results cannot be shared but the project does have a page on Facebook and a field journal blog, http://www.littlefireface.blogspot.co.uk, where updated information on the subjects and progress can be read. The goal of the study is to discover more about the wild behaviour and ecology of this secretive nocturnal primate, it’s a challenging environment and difficult for the observers (believe me, I know), but the data being gathered will further our knowledge of these little known primates and hopefully help us conserve them in the future.

http://www.culturequest.us/acobes/animals_files/slow_loris.jpg

 And now a little from myself. I have recently just started my Applied Zoology Honours degree.  Being a part time course I now travel up and down on the train on a daily basis. This can be a little inconvenient, however it was a result of one of these journeys I was treated to a wonderful wildlife spectacle. A flock of at least 60 Canadian Geese came into view flying in a wonderful, elegant formation which few others on the train noticed. Us privileged few who did, were treated to a sight I will remember for a long time the sheer beauty of nature.

 

 Finally I have received some very exciting news. My application for placement working with African Wild Dogs has been accepted! this means next August I will be spending two weeks working with one of the rarest carnivores on the planet. This will mean a return for myself to the Kwazulu Natal region of South Africa, and to say I am excited about the prospect is an understatement!

  Image taken by Author
Well thats it from me have a good week and the next one will be this time next week, until then all the best George.