Elephant shrews, also called jumping shrews or sengis, are small mammals native to Africa, comprising the order Macroscelidea. Extant elephant shrews comprise only one family, Macroscelididae, with six genera and 20 species.Their traditional common English name “elephant … [Read more...]
Endangered Species
Many animals in the world are in danger of becoming extinct.
This is a problem because it means that future generations may never get to see these animals in the wild. Some people may think that this doesn't matter, but it does. These animals play an important role in their ecosystems, and they are also fascinating creatures that deserve to be saved.
What is the IUCN Red List?
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a list of species that have been categorized as threatened or endangered.
A species will be classified as "Endangered" if it meets the following criteria:
The species possess a very high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 50 to more than 70 percent over the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 250 individuals, or other factors
Amazon River Dolphin
The Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), also known as the boto, bufeo, pink dolphin or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale belonging to the family Iniidae and the genus Inia.The Amazon river dolphin is the only living genus in its family, with the family … [Read more...]
Slender Loris
Slender lorises are small, nocturnal prosimians native to the rainforests of Sri Lanka and Southern India. There are actually two species, the Red Slender Loris (loris tardigradus) and the gray slender loris (loris lydekkerianus), and they are the only members of the genus … [Read more...]
Erect-Crested Penguin
The erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri) is one of the species of crested penguin, and is endemic to New Zealand. With a striking look, it has plumes of yellow feathers extending from the bill to the back of the head, as well as black upper parts and white … [Read more...]
Honey Bee
Honey bees are social insects. Their colonies includes a queen, drones and workers. Honey bees have been producing honey for over 100 million years.Honeybees, also spelt honey bees, are flying insects known as a eusocial insects, meaning they are one of the most socially … [Read more...]
Sand Lizard
The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is a small, rare lizard that is found in Europe and Asia. The word “lacerta” derives from Latin meaning lizard, while “agilis” is also Latin, meaning mobile, swift or agile. Sand lizards are the only member of their family and are sometimes called … [Read more...]
Giant Panda Bear
The Giant Panda (black-and-white cat-foot) (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), is a mammal classified in the bear family, Ursidae, native to central-western and southwestern China. Giant Pandas are one of the rarest mammals in the world. Pandas are easily recognized by their large, … [Read more...]
Red Panda
The Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) is endemic to the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal and Burma.The Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim. The Red Panda is also the mascot of the Darjeeling international festivals. Red Pandas look … [Read more...]
Wallaby
A Wallaby is a marsupial or pouched animal that is a member of the kangaroo family. There are around 30 different species of wallaby (macropod) from the scientific family Macropodidae (Macropodidae means 'big feet'). Wallabies are smaller than kangaroos and distributed widely … [Read more...]
Grey Wolf
The Grey Wolf (Canis Lupus), also known as the 'Timber Wolf' is the largest of the wild dog family. Grey Wolves were once in abundance and distributed over North America, Eurasia and the Middle East.However, because of human-related activity such as destruction of habitat and … [Read more...]