Some cool extinct animals images:
July 2012 Specimen of the Month: Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactylis)
Image by wagnerfreeinstitute
The pangolin (Manis), also called the Scaly Anteater, is a solitary, nocturnal mammal found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. They have small, pointed heads, broad tails and large keratin scales covering most of their body. When a pangolin is threatened it will curl into a ball and use its scales as armor. Pangolins can also secrete an unpleasant odor from their anal glands, similar to a skunk, as a defense mechanism.
Pangolins feed on insects, mainly ants and termites, and rely heavily on their sense of smell to find food. They have no teeth and lack the ability to chew, but have very long, sticky tongues (up to 16 inches in larger pangolins!) that extend into their chest cavity. Razor-sharp claws help them climb trees and tear through the dirt to search for insects. Their front claws are so long that they must curl them under and rest on their knuckles when walking. Pangolins walk with most of their weight placed upon their back legs and they sometimes walk upright as a biped, using their large tails as a counterweight. They are also excellent swimmers and will fill their stomachs with air before entering water for added buoyancy.
Eight species of pangolins live across Africa and Asia and they range in size from 12 inches to over 4 feet in length. Some species of pangolins live in the hollows of trees and can hang from branches by their prehensile tails, while other species are ground dwelling and live in burrows underground. Pangolins are born weighing only 3 to 18 ounces with soft scales that harden after a few days. Young pangolins will ride on their mother’s tails for transportation.
The pangolin on display at the Wagner (in case #71) is a Chinese pangolin from India. Chinese pangolins have a wide distribution across Southeast Asia from southern China and Taiwan across to Bhutan and Northern India. It is one of the burrowing species of pangolin which lives in a range of habitats from tropical forests to grasslands. The Chinese pangolin on display at the Wagner was purchased from Maison Tramond, a dealer at 9 Rue de l' Ecole de Medicine in Paris, for 0 in September of 1889. Based on the Consumer Price Index, 0 in 1889 is equivalent to spending around ,880.00 today!
All species of pangolin are in decline due to habitat destruction, hunting for their meat, and for their scales. The Chinese pangolin is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species and is heavily hunted in the region for its meat and for its scaly skin, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Let’s hope the pangolin on display at the Wagner doesn’t get added to the list of extinct species on display in the museum!
Want to see a live pangolin? Check out these videos:
www.arkive.org/ground-pangolin/smutsia-temminckii/video-0...
video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lDmG4Si2GE&feature=related
Sources:
www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/pangolin
www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-pangolin.html
www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=1411
www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/12764/0
cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/pangolin_proceedings_final_pri...
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/eutheria/pholidota.html
Zarapito real 04- Becut - Eurasian curlew - Numenius arquata
Image by ferran pestaña
Cada dos años la UICN edita la Lista Roja de Especies Amenazadas, una de las herramientas principales para determinar el estado de la diversidad biológica de la Tierra. Los expertos han identificado a más de 12.000 especies animales y vegetales en peligro, incluyendo más de 1.000 mamíferos.
La Lista Roja de la UICN, reconocida como la guía de mayor autoridad sobre el estado de la diversidad biológica, la elaboran cerca de 10.000 expertos de 181 países.
Las categorías principales en la que se agrupan las especies en la Lista Roja de la UICN son: extinto (por ejemplo, el Zarapito boreal), extinto en estado silvestre (el cactus Mammillaria glochidiata), en peligro crítico (el Águila monera filipina), en peligro (Ciprés dorado) y vulnerable (Cactus de alcachofa).
La clasificación dentro de las categorías para especies amenazadas de extinción (vulnerable, en peligro y en peligro crítico) se realiza mediante cinco criterios basados en factores biológicos: tasa de disminución, tamaño de la población, área de distribución geográfica, y grado de fragmentación de la población y la distribución.
Every two years the UICN publishes the Red List of Threatened Species, one of the main tools to determine the state of the biological diversity of the Earth. The experts have identified to more than 12.000 animal species and vegetables in danger, including more than 1.000 mammals.
The Red List of the UICN, grateful as the guide of more authority on the state of the biological diversity, they elaborate it near 10.000 experts of 181 countries.
The main categories in which you/they group the species in the Red List of the UICN are: extinct (for example, the northerly Curlew), extinct in wild state (the cactus Mammillaria glochidiata), in critical danger (the Eagle Philippine monera), in danger (golden Cypress) and vulnerable (artichoke Cactus).
The classification inside the categories for threatened species of extinction (vulnerable, in danger and in critical danger) he/she is carried out by means of five approaches based on biological factors: decrease rate, the population's size, area of geographical distribution, and grade of the population's fragmentation and the distribution.
