RAREST ANIMALS IN THE WORLD

PINK FAIRY ARMADILLO

Pink fairy armadillos have small eyes, silky yellowish white fur, and a flexible dorsal shell that is solely attached to its body by a thin dorsal membrane. In addition, its spatula-shaped tail protrudes from a vertical plate at the blunt rear of its shell. This creature exhibits nocturnal and solitary habits and has a diet that is mainly composed of insects, worms, snails, and various plant parts.

Unfortunately, the conservation status for pink fairy armadillo is still uncertain, and it is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

AYE-AYE

It is the world’s largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood using its forward slanting incisors to create a small hole in which it inserts its narrow middle finger to pull the grubs out. This foraging method is called percussive foraging which takes up 5-41% of foraging time. The only other animal species known to find food in this way is the striped possum. From an ecological point of view the aye-aye fills the niche of a woodpecker, as it is capable of penetrating wood to extract the invertebrates within.

The aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae. It is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN; and a second species, Daubentonia robusta, appears to have become extinct at some point within the last 1000 years.

THE MANED WOLF

This mammal is found in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in south, central-west, and southeastern Brazil , Federal District, and recently, Rio Grande do Sul), Paraguay, northern Argentina, Bolivia east and north of the Andes, and far southeastern Peru (Pampas del Heath only).It is very rare in Uruguay, possibly being displaced completely through loss of habitat. IUCN lists it as near threatened, while it is considered a vulnerable species by the Brazilian government.

TUFTED DEER

The tufted deer  is a small species of deer characterized by a prominent tuft of black hair on its forehead and fang-like canines for the males. It is a close relative of the muntjac, living somewhat further north over a wide area of central China northeastern Myanmar and have been recently seen in Afghanistan after it last appearance 60 years ago. Although suffering from overhunting and habitat loss, this deer is not considered to be endangered. It is the only member of the genus Elaphodus. It is restricted to forested mountain habitat up to 4500 m above sea level, making study difficult.

DUMBO OCTOPUS

Grimpoteuthis is a genus of pelagic umbrella octopus that live in the deep sea. Prominent ear-like fins protrude from the mantle just above their lateral eyes. They have a U or V shaped shell in their mantle which gives them a bell shaped appearance. Some species are short, squat and yellow, while others resemble a jellyfish with one big brown walking shoe[clarification needed. Some have suckers, in addition to spines, on all 8 webbed arms while others look like a regular octopus with the addition of blue or other coloured “ears”. These octopuses are commonly nicknamed “Dumbo octopuses” or “Dumbo octopods” in reference to how the ear-like fins protruding from the top of their head-like bodies resemble the ears of Walt Disney’s flying elephant Dumbo. There are at least 13 species recognized in the genus, each having a different aspect from all the others. These features could be larger ears or different colours. As these animals live at the bottom of the sea they have a very small food supply. Prey include crustaceans, bivalves, worms and copepods.The average life span of various Grimpoteuthis species is 3 to 5 years.

PATAGONIAN MARA

The Patagonian mara is found only in Argentina. It ranges from 28ºS to 50ºS. Maras prefer to live in habitats with lots of shrub cover. However they also inhabit overgrazed and barren soils in the Monte Desert biome.In northwestern Argentina the mara primarily inhabits lowland habitats like forest and creosote bush or larrea. Maras prefer sandy and low shrub habitat in Valdes Peninsula.It has adapted well to a cursorial lifestyle on the open plains and steppe, with its long legs, reduced clavicle and well-developed sensory organs making it capable of running and communicating in these open habitats.

NAKED MOLE RAT

The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the sand puppy or desert mole rat, is a burrowing blesmol native to parts of East Africa and is the only species currently classified in the genus Heterocephalus. The naked mole-rat and the Damaraland mole-rat are the only known eusocial mammals. It has a highly unusual set of physical traits that enable it to thrive in an otherwise harsh underground environment; it is the only mammalian thermoconformer.

The mole rat lacks pain sensitivity in its skin, and has very low metabolic and respiratory rates. While traditionally considered to belong to the same family as other African mole-rats, the Bathyergidae, more recent investigation suggests that the naked mole-rat is sufficiently divergent to be placed in a new, separate family, Heterocephalidae. The mole rat is also remarkable for its longevity and its resistance to cancer.

IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN

One of the earliest recorded descriptions of the Irrawaddy dolphin was by Sir Richard Owen in 1866 based on a specimen found in 1852, in the harbour of Visakhapatnam on the east coast of India. It is one of two species in its genus. It has sometimes been listed variously in a family containing just itself and in Monodontidae and in Delphinapteridae. There is now widespread agreement to list it in the family Delphinidae.

Genetically, the Irrawaddy dolphin is closely related to the killer whale (orca). It is also closely related to the Australian snubfin dolphin, and these two were only recently recognised as distinct species. The species name brevirostris comes from the Latin meaning short-beaked. In 2005, genetic analysis showed the Australian snubfin dolphin found at the coast of northern Australia forms a second species in the Orcaella genus.

THE GERENUK

The gerenuk also known as the Waller’s gazelle, is a long-necked species of antelope found in dry thorn shrubland and desert in the Horn of Africa and the African Great Lakes region. The word gerenuk comes from the word in the Somali language, Garanuug, meaning “giraffe-necked”. Gerenuk are sometimes also called the giraffe-necked antelope. It is the sole member of the genus Litocranius.

The gerenuk was first described by Anglo-Irish naturalist Victor Brooke in 1878. Its scientific name is Litocranius walleri. It is the sole member of the genus Litocranius, and is placed in the family Bovidae. In 1997, Colin Groves had proposed that Litocranius is a sister taxon of Ammodorcas, but reverted from this in 2000.

DUGONG

The dugong  is a medium-sized marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. The dugong is the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal.

The dugong is the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of some 40 countries and territories throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The dugong is largely dependent on seagrass communities for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats which support seagrass meadows, with the largest dugong concentrations typically occurring in wide, shallow, protected areas such as bays, mangrove channels, the waters of large inshore islands and inter-reefal waters. The northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay are believed to be the dugong’s contemporary stronghold.

 

 

 

WORLD’S OLDEST ANIMALS

THE WORLD’S OLDEST KNOWN ANIMAL

At 507 years old, Ming the clam lived a lengthy, if somewhat unremarkable, life. However, he could have lived even longer if scientists hadn’t discovered him. Unfortunately, their calculations of Ming’s age weren’t possible without cracking open the clam’s shell, so researchers didn’t realize they were in possession of what was likely the world’s oldest living animal – until they had already killed it.

One good thing came out of Ming’s demise – his shell can provide scientists with unique insights into the changes of sea temperatures over the last 500 years and can possibly unlock the secret to aging.

THE OLDEST TORTOISE

Tortoises are known for their longevity, but a tortoise living in India’s Alipore Zoo set a record that won’t soon be broken – surviving for 250 years. (To put things in perspective, that’s older than the government of the United States of America!)

Adwaita’s life began in the 1700s, when he was captured in the Seychelles Islands before being given to British general Robert Clive of the East India Company. Clive kept Adwaita as a pet before the tortoise was donated to the zoo in 1875. For more than 125 years, it lived in the same zoo enclosure until it passed away in 2006. Adwaita’s shell was then carbon dated to confirm his age.

THE OLDEST LIVING LAND ANIMAL

There are corals known to live for thousands of years, and bowhead whales are estimated to live for centuries, but land animals rarely have such lengthy life spans. The current record holder for the longest currently living terrestrial animal goes to a tortoise named Jonathan.

Also from the Seychelles Islands, Jonathan was brought from his island home in 1882 and continues to live at the official residence of the Governor of Saint Helena. A black and white photo from a collection of Bowe War images shows the tortoise in the year 1900. At 182 years old and counting, it’s unlikely any humans will beat his record any time soon.

THE OLDEST CAT

The world’s oldest living cat, Tiffany Two  died earlier in 2015 at the age of 27 and Guinness still hasn’t verified a successor for the oldest living cat title. But 27 years is nothing compared to the oldest cat of all time, who lived to be 38.

Cream Puff lived in Austin, TX with her owner, Jake Perry, and another cat named Granpa. At the time he died, Granpa held the world’s oldest cat title, but once Cream Puff lived past 34 years, she took the title. Since two of the world’s oldest cats belonged to the same person, many claim Perry’s unusual choice of foods (which included bacon, eggs, asparagus and broccoli) is what helped his felines survive so long.

THE OLDEST DOG

So far there are no confirmed reports of a dog living to the age of 30, but Max came pretty darn close at 29 years and 282 days. The cute beagle/daschund/terrier mix was born in 1983 and adopted soon after by his long-term owner, Janelle Derouen. Veterinary records proved Derouen’s claim and for now, Max holds the the title for world’s oldest dog.

THE OLDEST HORSE

(c) Warrington Museum & Art Gallery; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

Born in 1760, Old Billy lived to an impressive sixty two years old, more than twice as long as the average horse’s life span. Billy didn’t live a life of leisure either – he spent most of his life as a barge horse. As he started to age, his back was bent and his bones started protruding through his skin. Regardless, he became a bit of a local celebrity – he was depicted in a lithograph at the age of 60 and also painted by an artist named W. Taylor.

Billy was said to be a cob horse and had a brown coat with a distinctive white blaze. After his death, his skull was split in two, with one half taxidermied and the other left bare. The two halves of his skull are now on display in the Manchester Museum and the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery & Bedford Museum.

THE OLDEST ELEPHANT

If an elephant never forgets, then Lin Wang had a whole lot of stuff to remember. While the average life span of an elephant is around 50, Lin Wang survived to the ripe old age of 86 before passing away in 2003.

During World War II, the Japanese used elephants to transport supplies and pull large artillery pieces. Lin Wang was captured from a Japanese camp in 1943 and used to support the Chinese Expeditionary Force for the rest of the war. In 1952, Lin Wang was donated to the Taipei Zoo, where he was introduced to his lifelong mate, Malan. He became the most famous attraction at the zoo and was fondly called “Grandpa Lin Wang” by visitors. When he died in 2003, his memorial service lasted for weeks and attracted tens of thousands of visitors.

THE OLDEST LIZARD

The tuatara is known for its longevity, regularly living over 100 years. The oldest documented tuarara is a resident in the Southland Museum of New Zealand. He is currently 117 years old has and recently fathered his first brood of babies at the tender age of 111.

THE OLDEST KOI

Perhaps one of the oldest fish on earth, Hanako lived to a ripe old age of 226. The scarlet koi died in 1977 and scientists used the rings on her scales to accurately estimate her age. They discovered that the beautiful and beloved pet fish was born before the United States was founded.

THE OLDEST GOLDFISH

Most goldfish won by children at local fairs end up floating in their bowl within a month or two, but Goldie was special – she surviving an amazing 45 years after being given as a prize to Pauline Evans’ mother in 1960. When Pauline’s parents died in the late 90’s, she inherited the fish and continued to care for it until Goldie finally passed on in 2005.

Goldie adopted the title of oldest fish when he outlived Tish from North Yorkshire, who died at 43. Unfortunately, since there were no records documenting when either fish was acquired, both Tish and Goldie remain unofficial title holders as Guinness could not verify their ages.

 

 

5 AWESOME ANIMALS YOU DON’T EXPECT TO FIND IN AUSTRALIA

While Australia usually brings to mind red kangaroos, sleepy-faced koalas, surf-lurking sharks, and poisonous snakes, these iconic species actually represent only a fraction of the country’s wildlife. In fact, Australia ranks as one of only 17 megadiverse countries in the world, boasting more non-fish vertebrate animals (including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians) than 95 percent of the world’s countries.

FERAL CAMEL

Camels are definitely not native to Australia. Still, Australia is home to more wild camels than any other country in the world, including the countries where camels are indigenous. Today, the population of feral camels in Australia is estimated as high as 1.2 million.

Imported from Afghanistan, Arabia, and India in the 1800s, wild camels were released by the thousands when motorized transport replaced the need for them in the early 20th century. In addition to damaging stock fences and other farm infrastructure, camels are a threat to many of Australia’s native plant and animal species. Their widespread grazing and water consumption can severely degrade natural habitats that are vital to the survival of other species, especially during periods of drought.

Recent efforts to manage Australia’s feral camel population have centered on culling their populations across the outback. Between 2009 and 2013, cooperation between pastoralists, government representatives, and Aboriginal landholders reduced the population by an estimated 160,000 camels. A more recent study found that the use of “Judas camels“—camels tagged and tracked to lead shooters to feral herds—can be applied to ongoing management efforts. This approach was previously used to reduce invasive goat populations on the Galapagos Islands.

LITTLE PENGUIN

While penguins are often associated with colder climates than we typically picture in Australia, the country’s southern coasts between Perth and Sydney are actually home to the smallest penguin species in the world. Found only in southern Australia and New Zealand, the little penguin stands just 33 centimeters (13 in) tall and weighs only 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). Also known as fairy penguins, these little guys eat their body weight in fish, squid, and krill every day to compensate for the energy they expend swimming.

Although fairly common around Australia’s southern waters and offshore islands, populations of mainland little penguins have experienced severe declines during recent decades. On land, house cats and dogs that roam recreational beaches often prey on little penguins. At sea, the main threats to these penguins come from overfishing, gill nets, and oil spills.

Still, several large mainland colonies remain active. Two of the most interesting places to see little penguins are at Sydney Harbour’s Manly colony in New South Wales and at the St. Kilda Pier in Melbourne, both on the urban outskirts of Australia’s biggest cities.

WEEDY SEA DRAGON

While not nearly as ferocious as their name suggests, Australia’s weedy sea dragons are still impressive. Their name comes from their leafy appendages, camouflage that allows sea dragons to blend in seamlessly with the environment. To further conceal themselves, sea dragons swim in a swaying motion that resembles the movement of surrounding seaweed.

Although related to sea horses, sea dragons have several distinct differences. While the males of both species take responsibility for childbearing, sea dragons carry their eggs in a spongy patch under their tails rather than a pouch like sea horses. Another difference is that sea dragons are unable to use their tails for gripping objects. Found mostly in the waters of southern Australia, sea dragons live in the shallow depths between 3 meters (10 ft) and 50 meters (165 ft), making them especially popular with divers.

QUOKKA

You may have seen these ridiculously cute marsupials when they caught some viral fame for their selfie photobombs in late 2014. One of the smallest species of wallaby, quokkas are a vulnerable species whose mainland populations have been decimated by predators such as dingoes and foxes as well as by habitat loss from human development.

Today, quokkas are primarily found in protected offshore areas like Rottnest Island and Bald Island. Although quokkas often approach humans with curiosity and appear to be friendly with their adorable smiles (check out the selfies here), these animals shouldn’t be touched or fed. In fact, they are considered particularly susceptible to getting sick from eating “human” foods outside of their regular diets.

Unlike many marsupials, quokkas are able to climb trees. Also, the reserves of fat stored in their tails enable these animals to survive for long periods without water. As herbivores, they also distinguish themselves from other species by browsing for food rather than simply grazing.

NUMBAT

Looking like a cross between a chipmunk, squirrel, and anteater, numbats are as cute as quokkas, even if not as popular on social media. Also known as “banded anteaters,” numbats are found only in Australia. Unlike the giant anteaters of South America, however, numbats are actually marsupials. They are especially unusual because they are one of only two Australian marsupials that are exclusively active during the day. Unlike most marsupials, however, female numbats lack a true pouch.

The numbat is an endangered species. Its population has been substantially reduced by predator cats and foxes as well as habitat loss from agricultural activity and bushfires. Today, only about 1,000 numbats remain in the wild. As part of the effort to protect the numbat and raise awareness of its plight, the government has made the animal the official mammal emblem of Western Australia.

7 PAIRS OF ANIMALS YOU WON’T BELIEVE ARE RELATED

Every living organism on Earth is in some way related to something else. This genetic web gets larger and weirder the more scientists look at it. Finding new relations is a fascinating genetic puzzle where the most unexpected creatures can turn out to be cousins. It is also the ultimate tool for learning about evolution. The more creatures are linked to each other, the more they reveal about the history of themselves as individual species, their family group, and the progression of life on earth

SCORPIONS AND TICKS

Many people believe that ticks are insects, but they are not. They are true arachnids, closely related to scorpions and spiders. It’s an ancient lineage; one gene study tentatively suggested that these creatures were here before the dinosaurs, already crawling around the surface of the Earth 400–450 million years ago.

For both ticks and scorpions, the next meal is primarily found by their excellent sense of smell, and they can only survive on liquid food. Ticks live on a diet of blood, while scorpions have a multipurpose venom that both paralyzes and liquifies their prey’s insides, which they then proceed to drink. Of the two, the scorpion is better adapted to survive the lack of nutrition and can go without eating for up to a year by adjusting its oxygen use and lowering its metabolism. Due to a lack of useful fossil evidence about the history of these arachnids, the same genetic study that placed them in primeval times also used their test results to support a theory that they hark back to a common, ocean-dwelling ancestor.

JELLYFISH AND CORAL

One swims like a fish, and the other grows like a plant, but in truth, both are actually animals. Jellyfish and coral belong to the family group called cnidarians: bell- or tube-shaped animals that can deliver a burning sting with their tentacles. Despite this, they certainly don’t appear to be related. Jellyfish sting swimmers and pulse themselves through the water, while corals appear to be twig-like bonsais that do nothing.

It comes down to body build, however. Cnidarians are sac-like creatures with a central opening around which the tentacles grow. This is more obvious with jellyfish. The coral frames often found in novelty stores are not the animal itself but a limestone coating built by them for protection and anchoring to a reef. The tiny individual corals are simplistic in design. They are cup-shaped sacs and have one opening that doubles as a means of both eating and excretion. They suck calcium carbonate from the ocean to build the branches that most people mistakenly see as coral. Thousands of minute coral animals stay around their limestone tree, using their tentacles to search for food.

HORSESHOE CRABS AND SPIDERS

Horseshoe crabs were misidentified as crabs hundreds of years ago. Granted, they spend most of their time crawling over the sea floor and have a crab-like shell roughly resembling a horseshoe. However, they are grouped with arachnids.

Horseshoe crabs date back 500 million years as a species. These prehistoric survivors, who perhaps never evolved to flourish on land like the rest of their cousins, can grow up to 0.6 meters (2 ft) and use their long tails as a tool to dig for food or to right themselves when upside down. Even more remarkably, the horseshoe crab has 10 eyes on its back and sides, can replace lost body parts, and has blue blood. The blood is medically valuable and is used to detect bacteria, for cancer research, and diagnosing leukemia as well as vitamin B12 deficiency. Sadly, a great number of horseshoe crabs are caught for their blood and also by the bait industry.

KOMODO DRAGONS AND ALLSAURUS

Nothing matches the cool factor when it comes to the largest lizard currently scaring the planet. The Komodo dragon looks intimidating, has toxic venom, and hunts prey bigger than itself. Now, raise this 3-meter (10 ft) reptile on its hind legs, give it horns, make it dinosaur-sized, and say hello to its cousin, the allosaurus.

One shared family trait is rather startling: These two super-predators have surprisingly weak jaws for their size. The Komodo’s chomping power falls in the range of the domestic house cat, and the ferocious allosaurus most likely had to hack and strip meat out of its living victims, rather than deliver crushing bites. However, dainty jaws weren’t a disadvantage during hunting, since evolution endowed them with specialized skulls, strong neck muscles, and cutthroat teeth. In short, they became lethal slashers.

Causing prey to die from large wounds and blood loss is called inertia eating, and the Komodo also uses this tactic, along with poisoning its prey during bites. The Komodo, whom researchers recently discovered originated in Austraila as opposed to the Indonesian island of Komodo, even has a mouth with snake-like flexibility, allowing it to cause traumatic damage to a bigger area. Unfortunately for the extreme pet owner, neither is up for regular adoption. The dangers of keeping a Komodo ensure that dogs won’t be replaced anytime soon, and cousin Al left the scene around 150 million years ago.

MEERKATS AND CIVET CATS

They may have similar names and superb, feline-like agility, but neither meerkats nor civet cats are remotely related to cats. These African carnivores are related to mongooses and weasels, noted for their long, elastic bodies.

Meerkat and civet mothers both give birth in underground dens, but their commonalities end there. Meerkats believe that it takes a village to raise a pup, but civets are single mothers who only group together with others during mating season. Civet babies are born rough and ready for the world, fully furred and able to move around. Meerkats are born naked and without their senses.

Meerkats, who are noted for scanning their environment while standing on their hind feet, as well as a degree of immunity to scorpion venom, are smaller and dull-colored. The nocturnal civet grows more than three times a meerkat’s length at about 1.4 meters (4.6 ft) and is a beautifully patterned animal with a bandit face mask and a jaguar-like pelt, which unfortunately makes it a regular hunting target. Meerkats can live up to 13 years, and Civets can live up to 20.

ANTS AND BEES

If bees were to attend some kind of taxonomic family reunion, they wouldn’t be hanging out with wasps but rather ants. The family line was rearranged when scientists sequenced the insects’ genetic material to answer an old question about how they evolved as a group. This group, called the aculeate (stinging) Hymenoptera clade, holds bees, ants, and stinging wasps. The results refuted the belief that ants were more closely related to certain wasps and only a far-off cousin to bees; the reverse turned out to be true, with the exception of digger wasps and mud daubers.

This new family tree now allows insect-loving scientists to study with more accuracy how reproduction, feeding, and social behavior have evolved within this stinging group, as well as their differences as separate species. The discovery also clarified a fossil that had been hard to place and, as it turned out, was wrongly classified. The Cretaceous Cariridris bipetiolata was thought to be the world’s most ancient fossilized ant, but with a new and better understanding of these insects’ family placement, it was reassigned as a type of ancestral wasp.

PRAWNS AND WOODLICE

Woodlice are small, armadillo-like bugs sometimes kept as pets. Only, they’re not bugs at all. They are the land-bound cousins of prawns and crabs. Around 3,500 different types of woodlice scuttle around the planet, making them almost literally a fish out of water—a successful crustacean on land. All they have in common with insects is a tough exoskeleton and that their 14 limbs are jointed.

These “penny pigs” still need constant moisture to survive, perhaps because of their aquatic origins. That’s why they are so often found in rotting plant matter. Most species are herbivores, but sometimes one might snack on its own shed skin and excrement, or that of other shedding woodlice. Like most crustaceans, woodlice are edible and have been consumed alive by people who believe that they help with liver diseases. They also contain quite a large amount of calcium carbonate, which makes them a gross sort of antacid if the pharmacy’s closed and you really need some.

10 TERRIFYING CREATURES OF THE AMAZON RIVER

The Amazon rain forest is an immense ecosystem, providing a habitat for creatures as weird and wonderful as the jaguar, the poison dart frog and the Jesus lizard. But it’s home to more than just the animals that prowl, swing, and slither through the trees. In the depths of the Amazon River, the largest river in the world, live creatures so amazing and so terrifying, that they make Jaws look like a nice, relaxing swim in the ocean.

BLACK CAIMAN

A black caiman is basically an alligator on steroids. They can grow up to six meters (20 feet) long, with bigger, heavier skulls than Nile crocodiles, and are the apex predator in the Amazonian waters. That means they are basically the kings of the river—they eat nearly anything they can get their teeth into, including piranhas, monkeys, perch, deer, and anaconda.Oh, and yes, they totally attack humans. In 2010, a biologist named Deise Nishimura was attacked by a caiman while cleaning a fish on her houseboat, and while she managed to fight it off, it took one of her legs with it. This particular caiman had been living under her houseboat for eight months, evidently waiting for the chance to strike.

GREEN ANACONDA

Continuing with the theme of gigantic reptiles, the largest snake in the world makes its home in the Amazon: the anaconda. While reticulated pythons are actually longer, green anaconda are far heavier; the females, generally larger than males, can reach 250 kilograms (550 lbs), grow to nine meters (over 29 feet) long and reach 30 centimeters (12 in) in diameter. They are not venomous but instead use their immense muscular power to constrict and suffocate their prey, which includes capybara, deer, caiman, and even jaguars. Preferring shallower waters that allow them to stealthily sneak up on their prey, they tend to live in offshoots of the Amazon rather than the river itself.

ARAPAIMA

Arapaima, also known as “pirarucu” or “paiche,” are gigantic carnivorous fish that live in the Amazon and surrounding lakes. Encased in armored scales, they think nothing of living in piranha-infested waters—and they are pretty effective predators themselves, feeding on fish and the occasional bird. Arapaima tend to stay close to the surface, because they need to breathe surface air in addition to taking in oxygen through their gills, and make a distinctive coughing sound when they emerge for air. They can reach 2.7 meters (nine feet) in length and weigh up to 90 kilograms (200 lbs). These fish are so vicious that even their tongue has teeth.

GIANT OTTER

Heading up the “exactly what it says on the tin” category are the giant otters, who, as their name suggests, are very large otters. They are the longest examples of the weasel family, with adult males reaching up to two meters (over six feet) from head to tail. Their diet primarily consists of fish and crabs, which they hunt in family groups of three to eight members, and they can eat up to four kilograms (nine pounds) of seafood per day. Don’t be fooled by their cute looks, though—they are more than a match for the other animals on this list, with groups of them having been spotted killing and eating an anaconda. They hold their own against caiman as well. One family was seen devouring a 1.5 meter (five foot) caiman, which took them about 45 minutes. While their numbers are dwindling, mainly due to human intervention, they are among the most capable predators in the Amazon rain forest, hence their local name of “river wolves.”

CANDIRU

The Amazon doesn’t only breed giants, and the small creatures are just as terrifying, at least if you believe the stories that surround them. Candiru are small, parasitic, freshwater catfish famous for launching themselves up the urethra of anyone foolish enough to urinate in the river, and getting lodged into the urinary tract because of the spines that run along their backs. While documented cases are rare, and there is some debate over whether these types of injuries occur at all, there is at least one documented case of a man requiring surgery to remove a candiru from his urethra—which had also attempted to burrow through to his testicles. However, the candiru usually preys on fish, attaching themselves to the larger fish’s gills with their spines and feeding on their host’s blood.

BULL SHARK

While technically ocean-dwelling saltwater animals, bull sharks are quite at home in fresh water, too—they have been found as far down the Amazon as Iquitos in Peru, almost 4,000 kilometers (2,500 mi) from the sea. They have special kidneys that can sense the change in salinity of the surrounding water and adapt accordingly. And you do not want to meet one of these in the river; it is common for them to reach 3.3 meters (11 ft) in length and there have been reports of sharks weighing 312 kilograms (690 lbs). Like many sharks, they have several rows of sharp, triangular teeth and immensely powerful jaws, with a bite force of 589 kilograms (1,300 lb). They’re also quite partial to a bit of human, being one of the most frequent attackers of people (along with tiger sharks and great whites). Combined with their habit of living near densely populated areas, this has led many experts to label them the most dangerous sharks in the world.

ELECTRIC EELS

Electric eels are actually more closely related to catfish than eels, but you probably wouldn’t want to get close enough to one to find out. They can grow up to 2.5 meters (eight feet) long and can produce jolts of electricity from specialized cells called electrocytes arranged down their flanks. These charges can reach up to 600 volts, five times the charge of an average American plug socket, and enough to knock a horse off its feet. While one shock isn’t enough to kill a healthy adult human, multiple shocks can cause heart or respiratory failure, and it’s common for people to be stunned and drown after an eel attack. Many of the disappearances recorded in the region have been attributed to eels that have stunned their victims and left them to drown in the river. Luckily for our species, the eels, while carnivorous, tend to stick to eating fish, amphibians, birds, and small mammals. They locate their prey by sending out small, 10-volt shocks from their electrocyte cells, before stunning or killing them with larger shocks.

RED-BELLIED PIRANHAS

The quintessential terror of the Amazon River, so widely feared that they have inspired a number of questionable Hollywood movies, red-bellied piranhas are actually primarily scavengers. That’s not to say they won’t attack healthy creatures; after all, given that they can grow to be over 30 centimeters (12 in) long and swim around in large groups, they tend to be more than a match for most animals. Like all piranhas, red-bellies have incredibly sharp teeth, one row on each of their powerful upper and lower jaws. These teeth are interlocking, which makes them perfect for tearing and rending the flesh of their prey. Their fearsome reputation mainly comes from sights of their “feeding frenzies,” where groups of piranhas will congregate on their unlucky prey and strip it to the bone within minutes. These attacks are rare and are usually the result of starvation or provocation.

PAYARA (VAMPIRE FISH)

Anything with the name “vampire fish” should automatically be recognized as scary (even after Twilight), and payara are no exception. They are absolutely ferocious predators, capable of devouring fish up to half their own body size. Given that they can grow up to 1.2 meters (four feet) long, this is no mean feat. A large part of their diet is made up of piranhas, which should give you some idea of how tough these fanged fiends can be. They get their name from the two tusks that sprout from their lower jaw, which can grow up to 15 centimeters (six inches) long and which they use to literally impale their prey after viciously lunging at them. Their fangs are so big, in fact, that they have special holes in their upper jaw to avoid impaling themselves.

PACU

One animal certain to be far more terrifying to men than to women, the pacu is a much larger relative of the piranha, known for its distinctive, human-like teeth. Unlike most of the creatures on this list, the pacu is actually omnivorous, and a good part of its diet is comprised of fruit and nuts. Unfortunately for some pacu, “nuts” may not only mean things that drop from trees. Yes, that’s right: Pacu are alleged to have occasionally bitten off the testicles of male swimmers, with reports of men in Papua New Guinea being killed by pacu after the fish apparently mistook their genitalia for an easy snack. Oh, and don’t worry if you can’t make it to the Amazon to see these manhood-masticating monsters, because they’re already spreading into Europe.

EXTINCT ANIMALS

8 EXTINCT ANIMALS DUE TO HUNTING AND POACHING.

KOALA LEMUR MEGALADAPIS EDWARSI

Though they weren’t named until 1894, koala lemurs existed long ago during the late pliocene to the holocene period.Scientists believed they might be related to modern lemurs. However, fossil testing revealed no relation between the small Lepilemur and extinct Megaladapis edwarsi, which had a skull the size of a gorilla’s.Megaladapis edwarsi grew to 1.5 meters long (5 ft), and weighed up to approximately 75 kilograms (165 lb), possibly more. Its arms were longer than its legs, and they were made for climbing trees. It was too large to leap, and likely spent most of its life on the ground. Megaladapis edwarsi could have traveled on all fours much like an orangutan.Humans arrived in Madagascar about 2,000 years ago. Since then, 17 known species of lemur have gone extinct.Megaladapis edwarsi is among the most notable because of its size. Being so large made it slow and easy to hunt. Radiocarbon dating shows these koala lemurs went extinct following European settlement on Madagascar; the last one died about 500 years ago.

GIANT AUSTRALIAN PYTHON WONAMBI NARACOORTENSIS

Wonambi naracoortensis lived during the Pliocene epoch in Australia. “Wonambi” is the Aboriginal word for “raimbow serpent”.This enormous snake lacked the jaw flexibility of most evolved snakes. The most advanced snakes can disarticulate their jaws, while lizards have zero jaw flexibility. This means the wonambi was, in evolutionary terms, at a phase between the lizard and the modern snake. The wonambi skull resembles fossils of the Cretaceous period more closely than the skull of any modern snake.This non-venomous wonambi grew more than 4.5 meters (15 ft) long. It had recurved teeth without fangs, and constricted its prey. Most scientific estimates peg extinction at 40,000 years ago, though it’s possible they could have survived to as recently as 7,000 years ago.Similarities to other extinct snakes in South America and Africa suggest a common ancestor from the days of pangaea. Something tells me none of them were ever house pet material.

GREAT AUK PINGUINUS IMPENNIS

The great auk was a whimsical black and white flightless bird. Nicknamed “the original penguin,” it stood about 1 meter (3 ft) tall and had tiny 15 centimeter (6 in) wings.hundreds of thousands-possibly millions—thrived in North Atlantic ocean waters for centuries. They lived near places such as Scotland, Norway, Canada, the US, and France, but only ventured onto land to breed.Great auks became highly valued in the 1700s. They’d been hunted for thousands of years, but during this period the killing spiraled out of control. Valuable feathers, pelts, meat, oil, and 13-centimeter (5 in) eggs tempted hunters and collectors. Great auks became endangered, and their rarity only heightened demandedOn July 3, 1844, Sigurour Isleifsson and two other men visited the last breeding colony on Iceland’s Eldey Island. A mother was incubating her egg with her mate nearby. Two of the men strangled the live birds, and the third crushed the egg with his boot. The destructive trio had been hired by a merchant to hunt the birds. The great auks they asphyxiated were the last mating pair ever seen. The last known live great auk was spotted in 1852 at The Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Canada.

SCHOMBURGK ‘S DEER RUCERVUS SCHOMBURGKI

Plentiful numbers of Schomburgk’s deer once roamed Thailand. The animal was described and named in 1863, after the British consul of Bangkok at the time, Sir Robert H. Schomburgk. It’s estimated to have gone extinct in the 1930s. Some believe the deer still lives, but scientific observations have not validated this assertionSchomburgk’s deer antlers were believed to contain powers of magic and healing. The species became widely sought after by hunters, and fell victim to the traditional medicine trade. During floods, they gathered at high points; this made them especially easy to kill. Boaters targeted them when they had nowhere to run. Human settlement and commercial agriculture destroyed much of their habitat.The last wild Schomburgk’s deer was killed in 1932. The last domesticated one died in 1938.Interestingly, in 1991, UN agronomist Laurent Chazee photographed a pair of antlers at a traditional medicine shop in Laos. The antlers were later identified as Schomburgk’s deer antlers.

JAMAICAN GIANT GALLIWASP CELESTUS OCCIDUUS

The last recorded sighting of a Jamaican giant galliwasp occurred in 1840. Also known as a sinking galliwasp, it grew to around 60 centimters (2 ft) long and terrified locals. Its extinction was likely due to the intorduction of predators such as the mongoose—in Jamaica. Habitat destruction by humans may have also played a part in their elimination.alliwasps are a subject of fables. Jamaican natives believe the animal is venomous. After a bite, legend explains, the galliwasp and the person who was bitten will head for water. The first to reach it will live. The other will die.This is no longer a worry pertaining specifically to the Jamaican giant galliwasp, though. This species is believed to have gone extinct more than a century ago. Very little is known about this swamp-dwelling lizard, though we can tell it ate fish and fruit.few specimens exist today. Bleached and preserved Jamaican giant galliwasps are kept at a small number of museums.

GIANT TERATORN ARGENTAVIS MAGNIFICENS

Argentavis magnificens translates to “magnificent Argentine bird.” Its skeleton was discovered in Miocene rocks in Argentina, indicating this species of giant teratorn lived in South America six million years ago. It’s the largest flying bird on record. This creature could grow to more than 1.8 meters (6 ft) tall, with an impressive wingspan of 6–8 meters (19–26 ft). The heaviest among them weighed more than 68 kilograms (150 lb). Compare this to the wandering albatross,which has the largest wingspan of any modern bird at 3.5 meters (11.5 ft).Argentavis magnificens was a member of the Accipitirformes order. Other members include hawks and vultures. Much like these birds, the giant teratorn’s chest muscles would not support excessive flapping; it seems the bird mostly soared through the air, either hunting or searching for carrion. The giant teratorn’s skull structure suggests it swallowing prrey whole.Lifespan is estimated to have been between 50–100 years.

BARBARY LION PANTHERA LEO LEO

The regal Barbary lion used to roam North Africa freely. This species was unique as it traveled, not in prides, but in pairs or small family groups. Also known as an Atlas lion, the Barbary lion was a highly recognizable and stunning creature with a distinctive head shape and mane. A male’s extra-long fur surrounded the face, and grew from the chest and stomach as well.The last wild Barbary lion was shot in Morocco in 1927. Since the sultan of Morocco owned domesticated Barbary lions, a small number of ancestors survive in captivity. These royal pets were transferred to Moroccan and European zoos for show and breeding. This isn’t the only time they’ve been kept out of the wild, though. Barbary lions were used in combat against gladiators during the roman empire. What’s worse than a regular old fight to the death? Being shredded to pieces by a lion might be worse.

LAUGHING OWL SCELOGLAUX ALBIFACIES

The Sceloglaux albifacies laughing owl was native to New Zealand. It became rare in the mid-1800s. The island’s only endemic owl, it was last spotted in 1914. Unconfirmed reports suggest it might have survived up until the 1930s. The laughing owl’s hoot sounds like a creepy cackle or madman’s snicker. Its vocalizations have also been compared to a dog’s bark.Other species of laughing owl survive today and it’s possible to hear the sound online.Laughing owls nested on rocks around forest borders and in open country. Some were taken into captivity. They thrived as pets, and even laid eggs without encouragement. In the wild, human settlement and habitat destruction caused them to change their diet. They switched from eating sizable birds (such as ducks) and lizards to more mammals. After this dietary adjustment, natural predators likely hunted them to extinction. Grazing and agricultural burning could have also influenced their quick eradication.

ANIMALS AT THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION

10 animals on the verge of extinction.Due to hunting and poaching the animals which are at the verge of extinction

THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA

Africa’ mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei beringei) is the largest and the most powerful primate, a very peaceful and sociable.gorilla are our closest relative after chimpanzees with an almost 98 percent DNA match. the remaining 600 individuals face habitat loss through deforestation, poaching, circus us, effects of political unrest, human diseases such as measles.

FLORIDA PANTHER

Once prevalent throughout the southeastern U.S.,the florida panther (puma concolour coryi) is now restricted to south Florida  Cities and farms dump pollutants into waterways that feed the Everglades, an ecosystem that occurs nowhere else on earth. To boost numbers and prevent inbreeding among the remaining 50 individuals, humans bred the Florida panther with the Texas panther resulting in a genetically different hybrid.

GIANT PANDA

China’s giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat is situated at the top of the Yangtze Basin, one of the world’s most critical regions for biodiversity conservation. Because of their notoriously low sex drives, captive pandas are shown pornographic videos to encourage mating. After more than a century of debate, recent DNA analysis concludes that the giant panda is more closely related to bears than to raccoons.

BELUGA STURGEON

The ancient beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), while persisting for over 200 million years, may not outlast current threats. Its caviar is one of the world’s three most expensive foods, selling for over $100 dollars per ounce and encouraging illegal trade and poaching.Dams along the Volga River block migration from their breeding ground to the Caspian Sea. Historically, Belugas lived for 75 years, weighed more than 2 tons and grew to 28 feet in length. Now, the typical adult is younger than 18 years old and weighs only 77 pounds.

BLUE WHALE

Antarctica’s blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest creature on earth. The largest terrestrial animal, the African elephant, could stand on the whale’s tongue. UV radiation through a hole in the ozone layer depletes its food source, zooplankton. The blue whale is the loudest animal on earth, using low-frequency rumbles to communicate across hundreds of miles of ocean. Click here  to listen to its call.

BLUE POISON DART FROG

The blue poison dart frog (Dendrobates azureus) is one of the most brilliantly colored animals on the planet. Humans harness the poison as a potential ingredient in painkillers and the indigenous Chocó peoples of Columbia dab it on blowgun darts for hunting. The tiny frogs inhabit South American rainforest, which is disappearing at a rate of four football fields per minute.

SOUTHERN CASSOWARY

The ancient southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is a helmeted flightless bird in Australia’s Wet Tropics. As voracious fruit-eaters, they spread seeds, regenerating the rainforest in the face of deforestation. Even though the large birds weigh 130 pounds, they fall prey to non-native feral pigs, which were also responsible for the extinction of the dodo.

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

The loggerherd turtle’s (Caretta caretta) habitat extends through many countries, requiring international cooperation and treaties. Despite requirements to install turtle excluder devices on fishing gear in some countries, turtles continue to die as bycatch in countries without such measures. Pacific loggerheads migrate over 7,500 miles from their nesting habitat in Japan to their foraging habitat off the coast of Mexico.

POLAR BEAR

The world’s largest terrestrial carnivore, arctic polar bear  (Ursus maritimus) are threatened by global warming. They must fast longer in the summer due to melting sea ice. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. As of May 14th 2008, the Polar Bear was listed on the ESA. The decision was crucial as 29.7 million acres of the Chukchi Sea, which supports polar bear populations, are set to be opened to oil and gas activities.

ELKHORN AND STAGHORN CORAL

Elkhorn and staghorn coral (Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis) are the first species to be recognized as threatened by global warming. The new status provides leverage in future fights against threats to other habitats from global warming. Coral reefs provide habitat for thousands of species of fish.

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