Lesser-known Endangered Species

I think this belongs in here instead of the Pets forum, but please move if necessary. Maybe ATS should have a Nature forum? (Great idea btw)

Anyways, it is estimated that there are anywhere from 5 to 50 million different species on Earth. Impossible to know them all, many come and go without us realizing it, many are endangered and many are on the brink of extinction, so let's enjoy some of them before they are gone. keeping the descriptions short and focusing on eye candy (or eye sore)

The Red Panda: A cross between a cat, a fox, a bear, a raccoon and a lot of cuteness, the red panda is not a close relative to the larger pandas despite their name. Native to the Himalayas and forests of China. Estimated less than 10,000 are left. More pictures

The Aye-Aye: This ugly and creepy looking creature is a lemur native to Madagascar. These nocturnal animals are considered a bad omen by the locals and are usually killed on sight, and it's said if an Aye-Aye points his extremely long middle finger at you, you are marked for death. More pictures

The Axolotl: This goofy-always-smiling looking creature is critically endangered with an estimated population of 700. Also known as the 'Walking Fish', it's actually not a fish but an amphibian. The Axolotl has the ability to regenerate limbs and even regenerate the brain. Reminds me of a Pokemon. More pictures

The Kiwi: These cute little fluff balls are the unofficial symbol of New Zealand. Flightless and loyal birds, they enjoy monogamous relationships that last an entire lifetime. These birds are actually part of the ratite family (ostrich, Emu). More pictures

The Kakapo: My new favorite bird. Sticking to the theme of flightless New Zealand birds, the Kakapos are ground-dwelling parrots, so rare all the birds have their own names. A lot larger than they appear in the photos. Only about 130 remain. More pictures

The Pangolin: This also looks like a Pokemon, the pangolin are the only scaled mammal on the planet. They are also the most hunted and trafficked animal on the planet. It pains me that these amazing prehistoric animals are going extinct because of humans. More pictures

The Markhor: These wild and majestic goat are the national animal of Pakistan. They look more like an animal from some epic middle-earth type movie. Their beautiful corkscrew horns can grow up to 5 feet! Estimated only 5000 remain. More pictures

The Dugong: Not to be mistaken with the Manatee, dubbed "The Cow of the Sea" these large and super friendly looking mammals have a whales tail but are more related to an elephant. They look so friendly that I just want to swim up to them and hug them. Estimated less than 10,000 remain. More pictures

The Vaquita: Since it's close relative (The Baiji) has recently gone extinct, the Vaquita is now one of the most endangered species on the planet, with about less than 30 left, due to over-fishing (surprise). Not much to say here other than I hate humanity. Appreciate these beautiful creatures before they are gone. So rare and elusive that there are hardly any pictures, only pictures of dead ones.

The Ladybird Spider: I had to atleast add one of our friendly creepy crawlers. Though some of you probably wouldn't mind all spiders disappearing, these fascinating creatures are Mother Nature's creations, the Ladybird Spider got its name from resembling a ladybug. Once thought to have already been extinct, these are one of the rarest spiders in the world and dare I say, prettiest? More pictures
•••

Enjoy.

a reply to: knowledgehunter0986

That aye-aye looks permanently frightened out of its wits. I 'd be scared to if I was going extinct.

a reply to: knowledgehunter0986

Fantastic post, heartbreaking topic, beautiful animals (even the aye-aye) and the most spectacular spider, second only to the Maratus volans species (peacock and jumping spider family).
en.m.wikipedia.org...

It's a sad topic. But hey, thanks for taking the time and sharing it with us!

I hope human beings are the next. We've caused enough trouble already.

a reply to: intrptr

I don't know how I would react if I seen one of those in the wild.



And if it jumped on me, I would probably lose it.

a reply to: knowledgehunter0986

The aye-aye, a banshee straight from hell.

If one of them was looking in my window at night... i'd make it extinct too.

a reply to: intrptr

I could only kill an animal if it meant survival. Plus I have some weird phobia for dead animals. Especially smaller ones.

a reply to: knowledgehunter0986

I could only kill an animal if it meant survival.

Me too, I was being sarcastic. How could anyone harm something looks so frightened?

Come here little guy, heres a grub to chew on.

Thanks knowledge for putting this thread together. What beautiful and varied forms life takes..
Yes I love humanity deeply but greed, that unsatiable need that drives man to cut that last tree down is despicable.

a reply to: zosimov

Hi zosi thanks for stopping by, I really enjoy making these types of threads because I'm actually learning about these things as I'm creating them. I agree greed and ignorance, willful or otherwise, will probably be our demise.

Though new species are being discovered all the time, it so very sad to see some of these amazing creatures become extinct.

a reply to: Night Star

Hi NS.

It is sad, especially the ones that have been here for millions of years and are avoidable. To think some of the largest land and sea mammals are going extinct because of humans alone makes me really angry.

There is a very special rodent, a living fossil called the Zenkerella that would probably fit well on your list- however, so little is known about this mysterious animal that experts have been unable to determine if it is a threatened species (or not).

Indeed, Zenkerella is the ultimate survivor. Of the 5,400 mammal species known to science, only it and five others are the sole surviving members of ancient lineages. Even among that select group, Zenkerella's living fossil status makes it almost unique. But it is the least studied of all these ancient creatures. That's bad news for Zenkerella, whose habitat in Central Africa is under threat from deforestation and development. Since scientists have never seen the animal alive in the wild, they're not entirely sure where they live, or how many of them there are left. The utter lack of information has lead the International Union for Conservation of Nature to designate Z. insignis a "species of least concern." "These small obscure animals, they’re not getting the attention they would actually need to confirm their distribution," Seiffert said. We don't know for certain that Zenkerella is threatened, but we don't know that it isn't, either. "When more work is done, we could easily find that is the case."

The specimen sat in alcohol at the bottom of an opaque plastic container. Its luxuriant black fur was dark and matted, its characteristic tail curled. David Fernandez peered at the odd-looking critter, which he'd spent the better part of the past year trying to track down, and hoped it was the real thing. Fernandez had worked on Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea for 14 years, but he'd never seen one of these animals in its entirety before. No scientist ever had. He lifted the specimen out of its container and snapped a photo with his phone. Then he texted the image to his colleague Erik Seiffert, one of the few people in the world who would recognize the creature. Seiffert immediately texted back: That's Zenkerella. "I think he was even more excited than I was," Fernandez recalled. "It was amazing, the first entire specimen available for us, and for science basically." Zenkerella insignis, the critter caught on Bioko, is one of the world's most ancient and mysterious mammals. Until now, it was known only by its fossils and 11 scattered specimens, many of which had been languishing in natural history collections for over 100 years. Researchers who were interested in the species (and there aren't many) had little to go on aside from a hind limb here, a few teeth there. No scientist in history has ever seen it alive.

The Most Mysterious Mammal Source

Ancient phylogenetic divergence of the enigmatic African rodent Zenkerella and the origin of anomalurid gliding: Scientific Paper

originally posted by: knowledgehunter0986
a reply to: intrptr

I could only kill an animal if it meant survival. Plus I have some weird phobia for dead animals. Especially smaller ones.

You a vegetarian?

a reply to: D8Tee

No I'm not. Why do you ask?

originally posted by: zosimov
Thanks knowledge for putting this thread together. What beautiful and varied forms life takes..
Yes I love humanity deeply but greed, that unsatiable need that drives man to cut that last tree down is despicable.

In some places it is survival. In many places, like Madagascar where the Aye-Aye lives people live on a bare subsistence footing and do not know from day to day where their next meal will come from. In those settings, the habitats and animals around them are obstacles for survival rather than something to be enjoyed.

They have no value unless they can be used to extend a miserable existence one more day. So the animals and habitats are either pushed aside for slash and burn agriculture, killed for food, or poached for what money they can provide.

We can talk all day about how more money needs to be spent, but we also need to understand that vast amounts of aid are already sent to many of these places. The governments and systems that are in place there are horribly corrupt and much of that aid, not just money but food and other goods, are misdirected and misappropriated. So it's wrong to point the finger at ourselves for being too greedy and exploitative. We aren't necessarily the problem or at least not the only problem.

It's much like so many of the most intractable problems in our own country -- chucking money at it is NOT a solution for all we keep deluding ourselves that it is. A solutions is something that effects real change and doesn't simply enable the continuance of the same old same old which is what money and goods by themselves do.

a reply to: knowledgehunter0986

Thank you for the pictures.
The ladybird spider is sort of a reverse black widow (not really but, hoping you know what I mean). I like spiders and their webs especially.
I suppose in this series of photos my favorite would have to be the smiling amphibian
I think all creatures must serve some purpose? It's a shame that we won't realize the full the impact until a long time after they are completely gone, maybe.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

Hi TNM! Thanks for stopping by

Yes, I know what you mean, black widows are beautiful and terrifying at the same time, spiders really are fascinating creatures.

Fu** humans.

Bird and Hunter, Noooo, spiders are creepy with lots of legs and scare the bajeebus outta me!

OlegK, hello new person! Some humans are awesome even though many suck.

Seatlerat, thanks for the added pics and info! I have always loved your avatar!!!!

Ketsuko, I can understand if people hunt animals to survive.