Facts about Amur leopard [Panthera pardus orientalis]

1. Where do Amur leopards live?

Amur leopards live in the Amur Heilong Landscape, which spans both the Russian Far East and adjacent areas
of China. This rare subspecies of leopard has adapted to life in the temperate forests that make up the
northernmost part of the species’ range.

2. How many Amur leopards are left in the wild?

In an amazing tale of recovery related to concerted conservation efforts, the number of Amur leopards in Russia
has increased from 27-32 to 70-75 in the last 15 years, while China has recorded an increase of 13-15
individuals in bordering provinces.

3. How do Amur leopards differ from other leopards?

Amur leopards have a paler coat than most subspecies of leopards, and large, dark, widely spaced rosettes with
thick, unbroken rings. They weigh 70-105 pounds. Since they are so well adapted to living in the harsh, cold
climate of the Russian Far East, they have a thick coat that can grow as long as 7 centimeters in winter.

4. What threats do Amur leopards face?

The Amur leopards are poached largely for their beautiful, spotted fur. They also suffer from prey scarcity
because the prey they feed on, such as roe deer, sika deer, and hare, are hunted by local communities for both
food and income. They are also threatened by habitat loss.

5. How do Amur leopards raise their cubs?

Amur leopards have one to four cubs. They are weaned at the age of three months. Some males stay with
females after mating and may even help with rearing the young. Cubs typically leave their mothers around the
age of one and a half to two years. Often, siblings maintain contact during their early years of independence.

6. What are we doing to protect Amur leopards?

Amur leopards received a safe haven in 2012 when the Russian government declared a new protected area
called Land of the Leopard National Park. The park is 650,000 acres and includes much of the Amur leopard’s
breeding areas and about 60 percent of their remaining habitat. The park is also home to 10 endangered Amur
tigers. WWF had lobbied for the establishment of this park since 2001. Conservationists are also working
toward monitoring leopard populations as they disperse from the park into other parts of the region, as well as
across the border and into neighboring Chinese nature reserves, and hope to establish a Sino-Russian
transboundary nature reserve.

7. How fast are Amur leopards?

Similar to other leopards, the Amur leopard can run at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour. This incredible animal
has been reported to leap more than 19 feet horizontally and up to 10 feet vertically.

8. Why do Amur leopards matter?

Amur leopards are important ecologically. They are top predators, meaning they play an important role in
maintaining a healthy balance of species in their habitat. This influences the condition of the forest and
ecosystem, which supplies wildlife and people with food, freshwater and many other resources. Conservation of
Amur leopard habitat also benefits other species, including Amur tigers and prey species like deers.
9. What do Amur leopards sound like?

Leopards are silent most of the time, but sometimes they give hoarse, rasping coughs to advertise their presence
or to announce territorial boundaries. Some leopards purr while feeding.

10. How do Amur leopards hunt?

Leopards are nimble-footed and strong. They carry and hide unfinished kills, often to higher branches on trees,
so that their food is not taken by other predators. They are said to be the most accomplished stalkers and
climbers of the big cats, and their immense strength allows them to tackle prey up to 10 times their own weigh

Facts about Black spider monkey [Ateles paniscus]

1.Spider Monkey Name

The name of spider monkey is derived because of the behavior of the animals when they are hanging on the
branches of tree. They will use the tail and four lids to hang on separate branches. It gives the appearance like a
spider. Thus, people call it as spider monkey because of the resemblance. Read the full facts about monkey here.

2.Prehensile Tail

The prehensile tail is also functional as the fifth hand for spider monkey. Without the tail, it will be uneasy for
the spider monkey to move from one tree to other.

3.Collecting Food

When the monkeys collect the food, what they will do is using the prehensile tail and the feet to stick on the
branch. Thus, their hands are free to collect the food from the tree.

4.Color of Spider Monkey

The appearance of spider monkey is not really special. Most of them can be found in black color. However, you
can see them in different colors such as golden, red and brown.

5.Appearance On Eyes

Look the color around spider monkey’s eyes. You can see the fresh colored ring. The animal also has the white
chin whiskers.

6.Diet

The main foods gathered by spider monkey to stay survive include insects, fruit, nuts, seed, and bird eggs

7.Seed

Because 90 percent food eaten by spider monkey is fruit, this animal is responsible to spread the different seeds
of fruit in the rainforest of South America. Look at rainforest facts here.

8.Fore and Hind Limbs

Spider money does not have any thumbs. They have the hooked shaped hands. They are functional when the
monkey wants to hold on the branches powerfully. The fore and hind lid is very long.
9.Female And Male Spider Monkeys

When we talk about the size of female and male spider monkey, both are almost similar. It is very difficult to
differentiate them. However, the most female spider monkeys have bigger size compared to their male
counterparts.

10.Noisy Animal

When spider monkeys communicate, they are very noisy. The sound or call of the animals can be come in the
range 1000 to 2000 meter above the canopy area.

Facts about The gharial crocodile [Gavialis gangeticus]

1.Gharials spend most of their time in water as their short legs make it difficult to spend long hours on land.

2.They are found in riverines where the water is fast moving, deep and clear and prefer deep still pools at sharp
river bends.

3.These reptiles are more than six meters in length and their elongated snout is ideal for catching fish in water. It
contains more than 50 sharp teeth.

4.They are solitary predators and carnivores. They eat small animals and insect, fish and aquatic frogs.

5.Gharials weigh from 59 to 181 kg. The length of their snouts can be as much as 3 ½ to 5 ½ times as long as it
is broad at the base.

6.These animals can hear in low frequency or subsonic range.

7.Gharials enjoy basking in the sun to increase body temperatures and this aids them in their mobility as well as
digestion. They rest with their jaws wide open.

8.They make hissing and buzzing sounds during courtship or to protect territories.

9.Females make their nests and lag eggs during the dry season. They lay between 30 to 50 eggs on the sand
exposed on river banks. The eggs are buried by them in the sand.

10.Adult males become territorial during the breeding season but will tolerate small and sub adult males.

Facts about Dunes sagebrush lizard [Sceloporus arenicolus]

1.Physical description

The sagebrush lizard is usually 4.7–8.9 cm (1.9–3.5 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL) when fully grown.[2]
Hatchlings are about 25 mm (0.98 in) SVL. The sagebrush lizard looks very similar to the western fence lizard,
but differs in that it is typically smaller and has an increased number of scales. In appearance, sagebrush lizards
are grey, brown or olive, with hints of blue or green on the dorsal surface during the light phase, and they often
have irregular banding patterns on the body and tail. They also often display a black bar on the shoulder, and a
light lateral and dorsolateral line on both sides. The scales on the rear portion of the thigh are small and
granular, while the armpit and lateral surface of the body is often rust-colored. Females have white or yellow
bellies, and males have distinctive blue patches on the abdomen and throat, although the throat patch can be
absent. Males also have enlarged postanal scales, and two areas of swelling at the base of the tail. During the
breeding season, males may develop orange breeding colors. Young lizards look similar to adults, but lack the
dark blue markings.

2.Geographic distribution

The geographic range of S. graciosus includes much of the western United States. It can be found throughout
Utah, Nevada, southern Idaho, northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, Texas, and western Colorado. It is
also widely distributed throughout areas of Wyoming, Oregon, California, and Washington. Isolated populations
can be found in North Dakota and Nebraska. The sagebrush lizard has been found to live at elevations ranging
from 500 to 10,500 ft (150 to 3,200 m).

3.Habitat

The Sagebrush Lizard is commonly observed in shrublands, but is also found in a variety of other habitats
including coniferous forests, and piñon-juniper woodlands. They will bask on logs and rocky outcrops. They
spend most of their time on the ground, however they have the capability to climb to escape predators.

4.Behavior

The sagebrush lizard is easily frightened and will immediately seek refuge in crevices, brush, rodent
burrows, rocks, or trees when alarmed. Although in rare occasions, these lizards will stay still and play
dead.[citation needed] Individuals bask on the ground, on low branches of bushes, and on low boulders.
Mammal burrows and rock crevices may serve as hibernation sites during cold periods. Activity is almost
exclusively diurnal. The length of the warm-season activity varies geographically and from year to year, but at
most localities, individuals are active from March or April to late September or early October. Juveniles appear
to be active later in the autumn than adults.

5.Reproduction

Males defend territories both during and after the breeding season. Territorial defense is accomplished by
posturing and physical combat. Male and female territories overlap, which enables the male lizards to court and
mate with a few familiar females. Courtship involves headbob and shudder displays, and is physically
demanding and time-consuming. Males are usually slightly larger than females. Sagebrush lizards mate in the
spring, and have one or two clutches of two to ten eggs that are laid during late spring to midsummer. The eggs
are laid about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep in loose soil, usually at the base of a shrub. The eggs hatch in 45–75 days
(approximately two months). Females in the northwestern range may produce two clutches. The young become
sexually mature in the first (southern range) or second (northern range) year.

6.Predators

Sagebrush lizards are important prey for a variety of vertebrate species in the western United States. Snakes,
especially striped whipsnakes and night snakes, are the main predators of the lizards, but birds of prey also
consume them in large quantities. Smaller carnivorous mammals and domesticated cats also prey on them.
 Facts about Giant ibis [Thaumatibis gigantea]

1.It’s Cambodia’s national bird

In 2005, the Giant Ibis was designated by royal decree as the national bird of Cambodia, helping to raise its
profile and boost conservation efforts.

2.It’s the largest ibis in the world

Twice the size of the second largest species of ibis, the Giant Ibis is just that–giant. On average, adults grow to
40 to 40.5 inches long, measuring up to 39 inches when standing upright. They also weigh in at 4.2kg, with a
wing chord of 20.6 to 22.4 inches. The bird can also be distinguished from its loud ringing call–a-leurk a-leurk–
that it repeats at dusk and dawn.

3.It leads a tough life

Listed on the ICUN Red List as critically endangered, the Giant Ibis went unrecorded for more than 50 years
until it was rediscovered by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) researchers in 1993. Once found across much
of mainland Southeast Asia, today an estimated population of fewer than 200 live mainly in the northern and
eastern plains of Cambodia. Deforestation, climate change and poaching are blamed for the bird’s (as well as
other wildlife’s) decline.

4.The Giant Ibis is pretty shy

Shy by nature, the birds feed in secluded forest pools that are far from villages. As a lowland bird, it likes to
wade in water, preferably swamps, lakes, rivers, flooded plains, ponds and seasonal water meadows.

5.It breeds in wet season

Unlike other large water birds living in Cambodia’s Northern and Eastern Plains, the Giant Ibis breeds in the
wet season. The females lay two eggs at the start of the rainy season, which is usually around June, and nest in
trees.

6.It looks pretty cool

As well as standing out due to their size, Giant Ibis are pretty striking in the looks department too. Adults tend
to be dark, with a grey-brown plumage and naked greyish head and upper neck. They have dark bands across the
back of the head and shoulder area, and their pale silvery-grey wing tips also have black crossbars. The beak is
yellowish-brown, the legs are orange and the eyes are dark red.

7.Conservation is crucial for the Giant Ibis

With the bird species classed as critically endangered, the conservation work carried out by organisations, such
as WCS and WWF Cambodia, is essential to its survival. Projects include nest protection schemes and educating
local communities on the importance of protecting Giant Ibis into the future.

8.They forage in water

Giant Ibis have long, curved beaks that they use for foraging in shallow waters and between vegetation. Their
favoured feast is aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, small reptiles and amphibians, as well as earthworms,
locusts, mole-crickets, cicadas and other insects.
9.Tourists are playing a part in its preservation

Tourism is even playing a role in preserving the Giant Ibis population. A handful of responsible tours offer
visitors the chance to catch a rare glimpse of the bird in its natural habitat, with funds ploughed back into
conservation efforts. For example, award-winning Sam Veasna Center runs an ecotourism project at Tmatboey,
a remote village in Kulen Promtep.

10.Rice is even helping

In 2009, Ibis Rice launched as an organic, wildlife-friendly rice. The aim was to produce a world-class
Cambodian-produced rice while provide struggling rice farmers with a sustainable form of income and
protecting the country’s nature. To date, more than 500,000 hectares of forest and wetland have been protected,
along with more than 50 endangered species, including Giant Ibis.

Facts about New Caledonian owlet-nightjar [Aegotheles savesi]

1.It is known only one sighting, three reports, and from two specimens, which are held in museums in
Liverpool and Italy.

2.The bird is endemic to the island of New Caledonia, which is in the South Pacific Ocean to the east of
Australia.

3.Compared to other owlet-nightjars, this species is larger and has longer legs, hinting at a more ground-
dwelling existence.

4.The bird has been classified as critically endangered as its population is unlikely to number more than 50
individuals.

5.They have been placed at the base of their family’s phylogeny, suggesting that it was one of the first to
diverge from other members of the genus, evolving in isolation on the island of New Caledonia.

6.This species’ have been sighted in humid forest, and areas dominated by Melaleuca plants. Very little is
known about this enigmatic species, but it has been seen foraging for insects at dusk, and can be presumed that
it is territorial and employs a sit and wait tactic to prey on small animals.

7.Its large size and long legs suggest it is ground dwelling.

Facts about Burying beetle [Nicrophorus]

1.Dead Meat

The American burying beetle is named for its practice of burying its food, carrion (dead animals). The beetle
uses special chemical receptors in its antennae to detect dead meat. These receptors are so sensitive that they
pick up the carcass' signal from a long distance and very quickly - usually within an hour after the animal's
demise.

2.Big Beetle

American burying beetles are the largest of the carrion beetles: up to one-and-a-half inches long. They are shiny
black with bright orange-red bands on their elytra (wing-covers). They also have a bright orange-red patch just
behind the head and a patch between the eyes.

3.Beetle Babies

The female beetle lays her eggs near the preserved carcass. Within four days, the eggs hatch into larvae.
(Caution: Readers with weak stomachs, don't read on!) The parents move the little larvae to the carcass, where
the larvae ask to be fed by stroking the parents' mandibles (part of the mouth). Both parents feed their offspring
by eating some of the dead flesh and regurgitating it into the larvae's mouths. This goes on for about six to 12
days, until the larvae begin their next stage of development, pupation (see Invertebrates). After 48 to 60 days,
the new adults emerge from pupation. Now the circle of life begins again.

4.Where Have All the Beetles Gone?

About 100 years ago, American burying beetles were found in 35 states (including Missouri) and southern
Canada. Today, they are known to exist only in Rhode Island, Texas, and five Midwestern states (Kansas,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Arkansas). They haven't been seen in Missouri since 1980.

What caused the beetles' decline? Habitat loss is thought to be one cause. When people altered the landscape
(for farming and development), it changed the species that lived there. There were fewer animals that served as
the beetles' food, even as there were more carrion feeders to compete with the beetles. Besides habitat change,
pesticides may have played a part in the beetles' decline. As a result, the "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service" now
lists the American burying beetle as a federally protected endangered species.

The Saint Louis Zoo has been active in the conservation of the American burying beetles. We recently
succeeded in breeding more than 1,000 new beetles! See how we're helping the little guys and are now working
on returning some of our hatchlings back to the wild.

5.Why Should We Care?

American burying beetles are among the many small critters that decompose (break down) the bodies of dead
animals. Without these decomposers, we'd be up to our eyeballs in dead stuff!

Is anything being done to help American burying beetles? Yes! Conservation efforts include surveys, to
determine if the beetles still exist in states where they once lived; monitoring programs, to see how well the
beetles are doing in states where they're known to occur; and captive breeding and reintroduction programs.
Though there is reason for hope, the American burying beetle still has a long way to go to recover.

6. Fun facts

 American burying beetles are nocturnal (active at night). The nighttime temperature must be above 60°
F before they begin their amazing parental behavior.
 American burying beetles carry on their body large numbers of tiny mites. Sound creepy? It's really
not. These mites help keep the beetles and their carrion meals free of microbes and fly eggs.
 Adults of the species live for about four to six months after pupation.
 Facts about tarantula [poecilotheria metallica]

1.Distribution

Poecilotheria metallica is found only in a small area of less than 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi), a reserve
forest that is nonetheless highly disturbed. Surveys of adjacent forest have failed to observe this species. The
type specimen was discovered in a railway timber yard in Gooty about 100 km southwest of its known range,
but it is believed to have been transported there by train.

2.Behavior

Poecilotheria metallica's behavior parallels that of many arboreal spiders. In the wild, P. metallica lives in holes
of tall trees where it makes asymmetric funnel webs. The primary prey consists of various flying insects. Spiders
of this genus may live communally when territory, i.e. the number of holes per tree, is limited. The species is
skittish and will try to flee first, and will also flee when light shines upon it, as it is a photosensitive species.
Under provocation, however, members of the species may bite.

3.Longevity

Females typically live for 11 to 12 years, or, in rare instances, for up to 15 years. Males live for 3 to 4 years.

4.Venom

There has never been a recorded human death from its bite. However, P. metallica's bite is considered medically
significant, with venom that may cause intense pain, judging from the experience of keepers bitten by other
spiders in the genus.The vast majority are "dry bites," where no venom is injected into the handler. The
mechanical effects of the bite can still be worrisome, as an adult's fangs can reach nearly 3/4 of an inch in
length. P. metallica can move rapidly and may defend itself when cornered. Venom may produce a heart-rate
increase followed by sweating, headache, stinging, cramping, or swelling. Effects can last for up to a week.
However in extreme bites from the genus Poecilotheria, effects may still be felt months later.

5.Coloration

As with other tarantulas with blue hair, the vivid colors of P. metallica are produced by crystalline arrays of
nanostructures.Structural colours are usually highly iridescent, changing color when viewed from different
angles. Some species of blue tarantulas have hairs with a "special flower-like" structure which may reduce
iridescence.

6.Common names

P. metallica is also known as the Gooty sapphire ornamental tree spider, Gooty sapphire, and Gooty tarantula.
Other common names are metallic tarantula, peacock parachute spider, or peacock tarantula.

7.Conservation

P. metallica is classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
due to its occurrence in a single, small area in which habitat is rapidly degrading due to logging and firewood
harvesting. Another threat identified by IUCN assessors is specimen collection for the pet trade. Population size
is unknown, but the combination of its small natural range and the habitat threats indicate a declining population
trend.Illegal activities of this species started occurring from a picture released after its discovery. Because India
and Sri Lanka do not have many experts with knowledge of spiders, a five day course was offered from
Cambridge during which wildlife organizations learned about how and why to conserve these animals.