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Meerkats

A Meerkat is a small mammal that lives in the Kalahari Desert in Africa. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Herpestidae Genus: Suricata Species: Suricatta Despite their name, they are not actually a kind of cat. They are part of the mongoose family. You may recognize a Meerkat from the TV show Meerkat Manor or as Timon from The Lion King. Meerkats are very social animals, and they live in groups, called clans, gangs or mobs of between 20 and 50. Living in such a large group has its advantages because while the rest of the clan is eating or grooming, a few Meerkats will act as lookouts. When they see predators, they let out a barking noise to warn the rest of the clan. Meerkats play an important role in the desert. They help to keep insect and rodent populations under control. Without them snacking on bugs, the desert would be overrun with pests that would destroy the environment and drive many desert species into extinction. Meerkats are also a very important food source for animals such as eagles and jackals. Without meerkats, the Kalahari Desert would not be the incredibly diverse and lively environment it is today. Here are some facts about Meerkats: Meerkats are omnivores, meaning they eat plants and animals. Some of their favorites are fruit, insects and lizards. They live underground in huge systems of tunnels that they dig called burrows. These burrows provide shelter during the night and protections from predators during the day. They use their long tail to balance. They have tan and brown colored backs with stripes and white bellies Each clan is lead by a dominant pair called the alpha pair, and they are the only couple to have pups. The whole clan helps to take care of pups by babysitting and feeding them. They stand a foot tall.

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Kids

The Indian Cuckoo

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae Genus: Cuculus Species: C. micropterus The cuckoo is a bird native to much of the world. There are members of the cuckoo family on nearly every continent, and each one is a little different. The Indian cuckoo is native to forests in India and some surrounding areas like Bangladesh and Nepal. This bird is very common across India, especially in towns. These birds are native to forests but have been able to adapt to human presences by scavenging for food in towns. Because of this ability, there is no concern for this species going extinct. Here are some facts about the Indian Cuckoo: • They are also called an Asian koel. • There are 54 species of cuckoos. • They eat mostly fruit but sometimes eat caterpillars and other insects as well. • It is a larger cuckoo with a very long tail. • They are an average of 33 cm in length, up to 45 cm. • They migrate, unlike many cuckoos. • It is a very shy and solitary bird. • The females have brown feathers with white or grey speckles. • The male has a pale green bill and is a bluish-black. • They both have bright-red eyes. • Usually the breast and throat are a little lighter. • It is a popular symbol in Indian poetry. • Their feathers can get waterlogged from rain, so they often sun themselves after a storm. One trait that is common to nearly all species of cuckoos is being a brood parasite. This means that instead of making their own nests to lay eggs in, they just lay one egg in another bird’s nest called a host. The mother cuckoo never comes back for her egg; instead, she lets the host bird raise and feed her chick. In Asia, they usually lay the egg in a crow’s or a drongo’s nest. Often the cuckoo is the biggest chick in the nest because it will hatch first and grow faster. They only take 12-14 days to hatch. To help prevent the cuckoo egg from being pushed from the nest, the egg will sometimes mimic the color of the host egg. Sometimes the cuckoo mother will eat the host egg before laying her own.

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Kids

Tooth Billed Pigeon

The tooth-billed pigeon, also called a manumea, is a very special bird. The nickname for this bird is the “little Dodo” because it is the closest living relative to the extinct Dodo bird. Looking at the manumea, it is easy to see the resemblance. It is unlike any common pigeon that one might find in the city. The manumea is endangered, and many people are worried that it will follow the path of its relative, the Dodo bird, to extinction. The bird is endangered due to hunting and shrinking of its habitat. For years, it was part of the local culture to have a huge annual hunt for the birds. This hunt is now illegal, but in the past, it resulted in thousands of birds dying. Several reasons explain the loss of habitat. Forests have been demolished to make way for farmland and other developments, and the powerful cyclones that hit the island often destroy forest. Hope for survival still exists for the manumea, though. Many people are working to protect their forests and support the species. Tooth-billed Pigeon Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae Genus: Didunculus Species: D. strigirostris Here are some facts about the tooth-billed pigeon • It only lives on the Samoan islands of Upolu and Savai’i. • It is the national bird of Samoa. • It is endangered; some estimate only 250 of the birds are left. • Its natural habitat is in forests and along the forest edge. • The bird is incredibly secretive, so it is often difficult to count the population. • It has a large hooked bill with two “teeth” on the lower jaw, which is unique among pigeons. • The bill is red and yellow towards the tip. • It has a thick body (some call it chunky) and red rings around its eyes. • The average bird is 31 cm long. • Its legs and feet are also red. • The body of the birds is a blackish-brown and the wings a lighter chestnut color. • It mostly eats the fruits of the Dysoxylum tree, though it does eat some other seeds. • They usually lay two eggs at a time.

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Kids

Technology Helps Animal

Sadly, many species of animals in the world are endangered because of human activity, but some very clever people are starting to use human creations to protect and help these animals. Wild animals are not the only ones being helped by technology. Pets are also benefiting. Some people are creating completely new technologies, and others are just using old technologies in completely new ways. Here are some examples of the great technologies helping animals: • GPS (Global Positioning System) – By sending signals between 27 satellites, GPS can determine where things are and even how fast they are moving. This technology has been used in things such as cars to give directions. Now in the forests of the Nigeria-Cameron border, it is being used to track gorillas and help protect them from hunters and other dangerous human activity. In Nepal, the same technology helps track tigers. • Hubble Telescope – This is a telescope that was launched into space and helped us to learn incredible things about the universe. One of the ways it did this was by using software that could recognize the patterns in the sky so that it could locate specific galaxies and stars. Now scientists are using that software to identify the markings on whale sharks. In this way, they can tag the animals without ever touching them. • Texting – Elephants are beautiful and intelligent creatures, but they can also be very dangerous. When elephants wander into villages in Kenya, they can cause a lot of damage and often hurt themselves. To protect the people and the elephants, the animals are fitted with collars that have a SIMS card just like the one in cell phones. When the animal gets close to a village, GPS picks it up and warns the people through texts. • Desalination Plants – These plants in Abu Dhabi use solar power to remove salt from water to make it drinkable. Recently the Arabian oryx, which was extinct in the wild since the 1960s, has been reintroduced into the wild. One of the biggest challenges for them is finding water, so these plants provide filtered waterholes for the animals. • Fish Hooks – These hooks are special. Many sharks are accidentally killed when they are caught by accident on hooks meant for other animals. To help prevent this, there are new hooks called SMART hooks that are coated with a special metal that reacts with seawater and produces electricity. Sharks are sensitive to this and won’t bite. • Microchips – There are few things as sad as a missing pet, but this new technology is helping to reunite pets with their families. Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and hold and transmit information. These chips are implanted under the skin of pets, and if they are lost and picked up by a shelter, they will be scanned. The information in the chip will then help the shelter return the pet to its family. • Prosthetics – This helps wild animals and pets. Just like people, animals can have accidents and lose limbs. Instead of living their lives without a limb, replacements can be made and the animal can go on to live a normal life. Dolphins, dogs, cats, birds, turtles and even elephants have been helped with prosthetics. For more information, visit the following websites: http://wwf.panda.org/?206154/Nepal-tests-new-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-technology-to-stop-wildlife-crime, www.treehugger.com/gadgets/ways-technology-saving-endangered-species.html, http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2011/09/19/11-ways-technology-is-helping-to-save-endangered-species/, www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/microchips.html, www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/photos/9-inspiring-animals-that-use-prosthetics/bionic-animals

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Kids

Beech Marten

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidea Genus: Martes Species: M. foina The beech marten, also called the stone marten or house marten, has a very big range in habitat that includes Europe and Asia. Depending on where they live, there may be small differences in how the martens look or what they eat. This doesn’t make them different species; it just means that they have adapted to where they live. These categories of slightly different groups of animals are often called subspecies. One of the places they are most common is in the country of Italy. Here are some facts about the beech marten: • They live in forests or in rocky places. • Some martens will make homes in buildings. • They are a dark or medium brown with a lighter underbelly fur called a throat patch. • They grow between 16.5 and 19 inches long. • They weigh between 3.25 and 5.5 pounds. • They live for about 10 years. • They live in dens, hollows in trees or rock crevices. • They are solitary (they don’t live in groups). • They are omnivores and often eat fruit, smaller animals and eggs. • A mother marten will give birth to 2-4 pups at a time. • When first born, the martens have no hair and are blind. • Their natural predators are red foxes, hawks and owls. • They are nocturnal. • They hunt and communicate by smell but also have great eyesight for hunting in the dark. • Some people keep them as pets. • In captivity, they can live for 18 years. • They have a bushy tail. • They are great climbers and very flexible. Martens are a great example of adaptability. This means being able to change to fit your surroundings. Naturally, martens live in forests, but if the forests are removed and cities are built, the marten can still survive. They just make their dens in new places. Marten dens have been found in attics, barns and even in abandoned cars. Some people think that these animals are pests because they have been seen raiding chicken coops and rabbit hutches and sometimes damaging the areas where they make their dens. There is one great thing that the marten does for the area where it lives, though. They help to keep the number of rats and mice low.

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Kids

Kiwi

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Superorder: Palaeognathae Order: Struthioniformes Family: Apterygidae Genus: Apteryx Species: Haasti When most people hear the word kiwi, they think of a small furry brown fruit, not a flightless bird. The kiwi bird is the national bird of New Zealand, which is a large island off the coast of Australia. In fact, the kiwi can only be found in New Zealand. Unlike most birds, the kiwi does not fly; in fact, the feathers do not look like feathers at all, but like fur. Because the kiwi is the national bird of New Zealand, it is a very important symbol for the country. The native Maori even use kiwi feathers to honor the most powerful people in the tribe. Unfortunately, the kiwis may go extinct. All species of kiwis are endangered, though some are in more danger than others. Thankfully, the people of New Zealand have been working very hard to protect their bird and the forests in which they live. There are five species of kiwis. Females are larger than males. They have long thin beaks and no tail. They are nocturnal. They live in the forest. They eat insects and fruits. Their nests are in burrows and hollow logs. They have nostrils on their beaks. They usually live between 20-30 years. One to two eggs are laid at a time. Most kiwis are a mix of brown and grey to help them camouflage into the forest floor. Most kiwis are about the size of a chicken. Kiwis have bad eyesight, but an incredible sense of smell. Compared to body size of the bird, the eggs they lay are huge. Most of the eggs weigh about a pound.

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Wildville

Penguins

Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Sphenisciformes Family: Spheniscidae Genus: Spheniscus Species: Magellanicus Unlike most penguins, the Magellanic penguin does not always live in the cold. The penguins nest in large groups called colonies along the coast of South America during the winter. These penguins migrate, but they nest in Argentina. Along the rocky beaches are many penguin nests. Each nest usually has two eggs. The parents take turns sitting on the eggs and feeding the chicks while the other parent hunts for fish in the nearby ocean, sometimes for as long as 15 days. Here are some characteristics of the Magellanic penguin: • The normal lifespan is 15-20 years. • They eat cuttlefish, sardines and squid. • They weigh 5.9 to 14 pounds. • They are usually between 24 and 30 inches tall. • They are endangered. • They hunt in flocks. • They hunt as far off as 620 miles from shore. • They have a white belly and dark back. • A thick black band runs around the belly. • They also nest in Chile. • When the weather is very warm, they lose the feathers around their eyes. • Their feathers are waterproof. • They have a black bill that is hooked to help catch prey. These penguins are endangered because of where they live. There are no natural predators around their rocky beaches, but oil spills can be very dangerous. The oil is toxic to animals, and if it spills around the nesting sites, entire colonies can be covered. Sometimes zoos will adopt the orphaned or injured penguins. Recently colonies have also struggled because there is not enough fish in the ocean for them to eat. Many people and scientists are working hard to help protect and save these cute little penguins, though.

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Wildville

Corsican Painted Frog

Corsica is a beautiful little French island that lies in the Mediterranean Sea. Not only is this island special because it has both beautiful mountains and sunny beaches, it also has a special kind of frog. The frog is named the Corsican painted frog, and it is an extremely rare and very old species. Even though it is an old species, scientists only discovered it in 1984. The habitat of the Corsican painted frog is very specific and very small. This species of frog only lives in the mountain streams in the center of the island. They can live as high up on the mountain as 1,900 meters. The freshwater streams are small and rocky, and the frogs tend to prefer shallow water, especially when they lay their eggs. It is important for the frogs that the water is moving. The diet of the Corsican painted frog is very similar to most frogs. They eat insects and spiders. Unlike many frogs, they do not catch their prey with long sticky tongues. This species of frog has a short disk-shaped tongue, so they catch their prey by just grabbing it with their mouths. Unlike most species of frog, the male is larger than the female. Usually the males are smoother than the females as well. Most Corsican painted frogs are between 4.5 to 6.5 centimeters long. The color of the frogs’ skin ranges from brown to green to grey. Usually it is in a blotchy pattern to provide camouflage for the frogs in the rocky streams and forest floor habitat. To help with the camouflage, the frogs usually have warts that make their skin seem bumpy. The belly is usually paler and smoother than the rest of the frog. The back legs are very long and strong so that the frog has the ability to jump far. Like most other frogs, the Corsican painted frog lays eggs. The eggs are laid in clumps of between 500 to 1,000 eggs. The mother lays the eggs in the same stream in which she lives. To protect the eggs, the mother may lay her eggs under rocks or stones in the stream. The eggs will hatch into tadpoles, and in three to eight weeks, the little tadpoles will change into fullgrown frogs. Since the habitat of this frog is so small, it is in danger of extinction. If the forests in which they live are used for buildings, the frog will have nowhere to live. The mountain streams in the center of the small island of Corsica are the only place in the entire world that these frogs are found, and if they are not protected, it would be easy to lose them. They are classified as near threatened.

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