Along the Laotian and Vietnamese border lives a small forest ox. This creature was only discovered in 1992 and has since only been seen a small number of times. Despite being a new-to-us species, it’s already under threat. This Odd Animal Profile is about the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), which is already listed as critically endangered due to habitat loss and hunting. What can we learn about this fascinating animal before it’s too late?
The ringtail, sometimes called the ring-tailed cat, is an interesting and unique part of the landscape in the western United States. I know that many of the Odd Animal Profile’s you’ll find here on Endangered Living tend to be animals from far off places, but it’s good to remember we have incredible wildlife here in our own backyard.
These magnificent 3 foot tall birds may not be a species you have heard of, but then again, you may be wrong. If you have ever heard the panicked parent’s reply to the question “Where do babies come from?” you’ve probably at least heard reference to this iconic bird. When someone says “Storks bring babies” they are referring to the European stork. Continue reading The European Stork: From Marrakech to Urban Legend
One of the few animals I saw on a regular basis while in Sierra Leone was the Great Blue Turaco. The first time I was told by Papanie that the giant blue bird that flew overhead was a turaco I was shocked. The turaco I had worked with in Dallas had barely been half that size! But the more I saw them the more resemblance I saw to Marty, my Dallas-dwelling turaco. So in honor of the Great Blue Turaco and the amazing wildlife of Sierra Leone, lets have them be the next focus for an Odd Animal Profile.
Corythaeola cristata. I don’t normally include the scientific names in my O.A.P.s but Corythaeola crostata rolls off of the tongue with such grace. It is a name that couldn’t belong to any other animal than this giant, blue bird. Continue reading OAP: Great Blue Turaco
It’s been a while but it is time for another Odd Animal Profile! If you haven’t been around on the site long check out some of our other OAP’s like the oh so popular okapi or maybe you’re in the mood to learn about the sunda flying lemur? Oh I do love animals called “flying” that can’t actually fly! Why don’t they just call this amphibian the gliding frog? Or the frog that can jump extremely long distances? Well, I guess it’s because it’s quite a mouthful, so flying frog it is!
I am very excited to announce Endangered Living’s first video in our new video blog series “Videos About Your Wild World.” I have been wanting to branch into video blogging for a while now, but I wasn’t quite sure which route to take. This is a short educational video that focuses on bumble dart frogs, a species of South American poison dart frog.
Hopeful within the coming weeks I will get the chance to add some sound and a better title/introduction. But for now, I am proud of my self seeing as I had to learn a whole new version of Final Cut to make this video. I promise if you stick around the videos will only get better in quality from here on out.
Yippee! It’s time for hornbills! This one is from Southeast Asia, not Africa, and they are gorgeous! Honestly every single time I see a hornbill (any species) I heard my dad laughing and shouting “Look at the head on that rooster!” which he says to every ridiculous looking bird. It never fails to make me smile. Well, enough about me! Let’s get to the bird!
Continue reading odd animal profile: Sunda wrinkled hornbill
I fall more and more in love with Indonesia at every turn. I am by no means an expert on it, (not yet anyway) just someone who dreams of living the rest of their life in the jungles of Borneo. It seems every time I fall in love with a new species they are close neighbors of the orangutans, whether it be the beautiful hornbills (O.A.P. to come), or even the ever-curious black crested macaque.
Down in South America lives the maned wolf, and like the last OAP, it’s name is a little deceiving. The maned wolf is related to wolves, but only very distantly, it is actually much more closely related to the fox, even then it is the only animal in its genus. The maned wolf is an odd animal because of its odd appearance of a fox on stilts, and its unique temperament.
It’s not a lemur, and it doesn’t fly, so the name is a little misleading. But I bet you’ve never heard of it before! This little gliding animal is pretty rare and in fact, there’s not much known about them. They’re not a new species, people just don’t seem to concerned with learning more about this fuzzy little creature.
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