angonoka tortoise

Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Astrochelys
Species:	A. yniphora
Binomial name
Astrochelys yniphora Vaillant, 1885[1]
Synonyms[2]
Testudo yniphora Vaillant, 1885 Testudo radiata yniphoraSiebenrock, 1909 Testudo hyniphora Vaillant & Grandidier, 1910 (ex errore) Asterochelys yniphora Loveridge & Williams, 1957 Geochelone yniphora Loveridge & Williams, 1957 Geochelone ynophora Arnold, 1979(ex errore) Astrochelys yniphora Bour, 1985 Testudo (Geochelone) yinphoraPaull, 1999 (ex errore) Angonoka yniphora Le, Raxworthy, McCord & Mertz, 2006

The angonoka tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) is a critically endangered species of tortoise endemic to Madagascar.^[3] It is also known as the

This species was originally described in 1885 by French zoologist Léon Vaillant, who proposed it as the species Tesudo yniphora based on the distinguished shape of the anterior part of the plastron.

The angonoka tortoise (A. yniphora) along with the radiated tortoise (A. radiata) are the only species in the genus Astrochelys. Astrochelys is attributed to John Edward Gray who used the name in his 1873 book Hand-list of the specimens of shield reptiles in the British Museum.The parent family forAstrochelys is Testudinidae, the tortoise family.

The name angonoka comes from the Malagasy word which is used as the local name of the species.The alternative common name ploughshare tortoise refers to the appearance of the gular scute of the plastron.

The carapace is highly domed and light brown in colour with prominent growth rings on each scute. The outer parts of the vertebral is a darker brown.The gular scute of the plastron projects forward between the front legs and curves upward toward the neck.

Males are larger than females, reaching a carapace length up to 17 inches (43 cm). Fully grown male angonoka tortoises are larger, as well as heavier, than females. The average length of an adult male angonoka tortoise is 414.8 millimetres (16.33 in) and the average weight is 10.3 kilograms (23 lb). Females measure at a 370.1 millimetres (14.57 in) average and weigh a 8.8 kilograms (19 lb) average.

Distribution and habitat

  Angonoka tortoise range

In the wild this species is only found in Madagascar where it is endemic to the dry forests in the Baly Bayarea of northwestern Madagascar, near the town of Soalala. The distribution is a 25 to 60 square kilometres (9.7 to 23 sq mi) range around Baly Bay.

The Baly Bay region is made up of savanna, mangrove swamps, and dry deciduous forest. They make use of bamboo-scrub habitat which is made up of different types of shrubs, savanna grasses, bamboo, and open areas with no vegetation. The flora includes shrubbery usually under 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height, such asBauhinia and Terminalia species, and Perrierbambus madagascariensis bamboo, which forms dense thickets. The elevation of this area is under 50 metres (160 ft) above sea level.

The population estimate for the angonoka tortoise in the wild is about 600 individuals, ranging from 440 to 770, but is still decreasing. The tortoise is at an extremely high risk of extinction; it is thought it will become extinct in the wild in the next 10 to 15 years. It can be found in five sub-populations, two east of the and three west of the Andranomavo river. The two to the east are Beheta and Sada; the three to the west are Ambatomainty, Andrafiafaly, and Betainalika.

White Tiger

  White Tiger Facts                        

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Panthera
Scientific Name:	Panthera tigris tigris
Common Name:	White Tiger
Other Name(s):	White Bengal Tiger
Group:	Mammal
Number Of Species:	1
Location:	Indian subcontinent
Habitat:	Dense jungle and mangrove swamp
Colour:	White, Black, Brown, Orange
Skin Type:	Fur
Size (L):	2.4m - 3.3m (6.8ft - 11ft)
Weight:	140kg - 300kg (309lbs - 660lbs)
Top Speed:	96kph (60mph)
Diet:	Carnivore
Prey:	Deer, Cattle, Wild Boar
Predators:	Human
Lifestyle:	Diurnal
Group Behaviour:	Solitary
Life Span:	10 - 20 years
Age Of Sexual Maturity:	3 - 4 years
Gestation Period:	103 days
Average Litter Size:	3
Name Of Young:	Cub
Age Of Weaning:	6 months
Conservation Status:	Endangered
Estimated Population Size:	0 in wild
Biggest Threat:	Habitat loss
Most Distinctive Feature:	White fur with bright, blue eyes
Fun Fact:	None have been seen in the wild for 50 years!

White Tiger Classification and Evolution
The White Tiger (also known as the White Bengal Tiger) is a subspecies of Tiger, found throughout the Indiansubcontinent. Although the range of the White Tiger is historically very large, these animals are incredibly rare as their colouration is dependent on a defective, recessive gene that is passed on from their parents. Over the past couple of centuries the White Tiger has become even rarer in the wild due to trophy hunting or capture for the exotic pet trade, with there having been no recorded sightings of these elusive predators for the past 50 years. Today, the WhiteTiger can still be found in a handful of zoos and animal sanctuaries around the world with these large and beautiful felines often being the star attraction. Along with the Bengal Tiger, the White Tiger is considered to be the second largest species of Tiger in the world after the Siberian Tiger.

White Tiger Anatomy and Appearance
The White Tiger is a large and powerful animal that can weigh up to 300kg and reaches more than 3 meters in length. Unlike the white variations found in other animal species, the White Tiger is not an albino as they still carry some form of pigment that creates their fur colour, as some individuals are known to retain an orange tinge to their white coloured fur. Like other Tiger species, the White Tiger has black or dark brown stripes that run vertically along it's body, the pattern of which is unique to both the Tiger species and the individual. Along with the change in fur colour, the gene carried by the White Tiger's parents also means that they have blue eyes rather than the green or yellow coloured eyes of normalBengal Tigers. Despite the beauty of the White Tiger's fur, it does in fact give these individuals a disadvantage as they are not so easily camouflaged into the surrounding jungle.

White Tiger Distribution and Habitat
The White Tiger would once have been found throughout much of India and the surrounding countries but their range has decreased dramatically, particularly over the past 100 years or so. Today the Bengal Tiger is found in small pockets of it's natural habitat in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, and although populations are severely declining, they remain the most numerous Tiger species in the world. They are found in a variety ofhabitats including tropical forests, mangrove swamps and moist jungles that generally support dense vegetation and have a good source of fresh water. Although the White Tigercould once be found in the wild, it is very rare for the gene carrying parents to actually mate, and with the rapidly declining numbers of Bengal Tigers throughout their natural range, the chances of White Tigers being produced are becoming less every day.

White Tiger Behaviour and Lifestyle
Like other Tiger species, the White Tiger is a solitary animal as this allows this largepredator to sneak up on prey more effectively in the dense jungle. Although the White Tigeris not nocturnal, they do the majority of their hunting at night as this also helps them to hunt more successfully. White Tigers have incredible hearing and sight which, along with their stealth, helps them when hunting in the jungle in the dark. Each Tiger occupies a large territory that is marked by urine and claw marks on trees, and can be up to 75 square miles in size. Despite the fact that they are solitary animals except for during the mating season, male White Tiger territories can overlap with those of a number of females', particularly in areas which are high in prey. Male White Tigers will however, defend their patch fiercely from other males who may be trying to steal their spot.

White Tiger Reproduction and Life Cycles
In order for a White Tiger to be produced, both of it's parents must carry the gene. Male and female White Tigers are attracted to one another by their roars and scent marks, and once mated, the male and female go their separate ways. After a gestation period that lasts for around 3 and a half months, the female White Tiger gives birth to up to 5 cubs, which are blind and weigh roughly 1kg each and can have either white or orange fur. The WhiteTiger cubs suckle on the milk from their mother and begin to eat meat that she has caught for them when they are around 2 months old, and are weaned four months later. The WhiteTiger cubs begin to accompany their mother hunting and eventually leave her and begin their solitary life in the jungle when they are about 18 months of age. White Tigers have an average lifespan of 12 years, which can be longer in captivity.

White Tiger Diet and Prey
In the same way as other Tiger species, the White Tiger is a carnivorous animal meaning that it only hunts and eats other animals in order to gain the nutrition that it needs. The White Tiger is an apex predator in it's environment, hunting it's prey by stalking it stealthily in the darkness of night. The White Tiger primarily hunts large, herbivorous animalsincluding Deer, Wild Boar, Cattle and Goats that feed both in the jungle and on it's outskirts. The White Tiger has a number of adaptations to help it to both catch and kill it's prey, including being strong and powerful, incredibly fast, and having long and sharp claws and teeth.With growing Human settlements pushing the White Bengal Tiger into smaller and smaller pockets of it's historical range, they are also commonly known to hunt and kill livestock, with entrances into villages also becoming increasingly common.

White Tiger Predators and Threats
In it's natural environment, the White Tiger has no predators due to the fact that it is such a big and powerful animal itself. They are however severely affected by people and have been for hundreds of years, as they have been both captured and hunted for their beauty, and have lost a significant chunk of their historical range to deforestation for both growingHuman settlements and agriculture. With the loss in forest, there is also a decline in the White Tiger's prey so populations are becoming increasingly harder to sustain. The fact that the few Bengal Tigers that remain in the wild are becoming more and more isolated means that there is less of a chance that White Tigers will be produced, and this coupled with the severe declines in population numbers could mean that White Tigers have disappeared from the wild forever.

White Tiger Interesting Facts and Features
Oddly enough, the White Tiger is thought to have a slightly shorter life expectancy than the normal Bengal Tiger. Although there is no evidence of this in the wild, captive studies conclude that it is due to the White Tiger's mutated genes and to the inbreeding that is required to continue breeding the White Tiger in captivity. One of the biggest reasons for White Tiger's becoming rarer and rarer in the wild is the fact that they were often captured by the rich, who kept them as an incredibly exotic pet. The White Tiger is one of the most versatile and adaptable predators in the Asian jungle as they are not only incredibly quick and agile at running, but they are also very capable swimmers, allowing them to breech natural boundaries such as rivers and wetland.

White Tiger Relationship with Humans
Since they were first brought into captivity, White Tigers have been interbred by Humans in a business that is morally questionable and purely profit based. Since then, this already rareanimal is thought to have disappeared completely as there have been no confirmed WhiteTiger reports since the mid 1900s. Although it is simply a question of two gene carrying individuals mating, the fact that people have hunted them and taken over much of their natural habitat, means that the chances of this happening are not very high. There is an issue however, with increasing instances of Bengal Tigers actually entering Humansettlements which causes problems between the Tiger and the villagers. Due to the fact thatTigers are becoming increasingly more vulnerable animals, it is illegal to shoot them and so they often return to the same village night after night.

White Tiger Conservation Status and Life Today
The White Tiger is a Bengal Tiger which is a species listed by the IUCN as Endangered and therefore severely threatened in it's surrounding environment. Estimates of around 100,000Tigers found in the jungles and mangrove swamps of Asia were made at the beginning of the 1900s, but today there are thought to be less than 8,000 Tigers in the wild, with around 2,000 of these being Bengal Tigers. There are no White Tiger individuals known to be found outside of captivity.

Hirola (Beatragus hunteri)

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

  Phylum: Chordata

    Class: Mammalia

      Order: Artiodactyla

        Family: Bovidae

          Subfamily: Alcelaphinae

            Genus: Beatragus

Taxonomy

Beatragus hunteri [P.L. Sclater, 1889].  

Citation: Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1889:58.

Type locality: Kenya, E bank of Tana River.

Click on the pictures above for a larger view of the photographs

General Characteristics

Body Length: 120-200 cm / 4-6.7 ft.
Shoulder Height: 100-125 cm / 3.3-4.2 ft.
Tail Length: 30-45 cm / 12-18 in.
Weight: 80-118 kg / 176-260 lb.The coat is a light sandy brown, which turns more grey in adult males.  Two white lines form a chevron between the eyes, but, unusually, this white point is directed towards the forehead, rather than down the muzzle.  These chevron lines encircle each eye, emphasizing their position instead of concealing it.  The long, thick tail is white, as are the ears, which are tipped with black.  The skin on the nape of the neck thickens considerably in mature males (as protection from a rivals horns during sparring), and folds up behind the horns in a conspicuous ridge when the ears are pricked.  The lyrate horns are much more like those of an impala than a topi or hartebeest, but are shorter and sturdier with heavy ridges along most of their length.

Ontogeny and Reproduction

Gestation Period: 7.5-8 months
Young per Birth: 1Breeding occurs at the onset of the long rainy season in March and April, with the majority of births occurring just prior to the short rains in October and November.  Young go through a brief 'lying up' phase, hiding away from their mothers.

Ecology and Behavior

Most feeding activity occurs in the early morning and evening.  Hirola are very good at storing fat, which, along with a low activity level, help this species to survive droughts.  Herds are fairly sedentary, adult males especially so.  Males holding territories often posture on 'stamping grounds' created by scraping at the dirt with their hooves and marked with dung heaps, in which head bobbing - made more conspicuous by the white ears and facial mask - plays a large part.  Scent marking of grasses with secretions from the preorbital gland is also common.  When fighting in earnest, males generally kneel in front of their opponent, while wrestling and sparring occur in an upright position.Family group: Females and their young in herds of 5-40 animals, generally led by a single territorial male.  All male groups are common, and may be associated with topi bachelor herds.
Diet: Grasses
Main Predators: Lion, hyena, cheetah.

Distribution

Arid, grassy plains bound by semi-desert inland and coastal forests on the south-eastern coast of Kenya and Somalia.

Range Map (Redrawn from IEA, 1998)

Conservation Status

Hunter's hartebeest is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN (1996), with fewer than 400 living individuals.  Counts in the 1970's estimated the hirola population to be close to 14,000 animals, but by 1983, only about 7,000 were believed to exist.  Competition with domestic cattle is thought to have played a large role in this decline, although severe drought and poaching are also factors.

Remarks

This antelope has recently become very rare, with current censuses reporting fewer than 400  individuals.  Hunter's hartebeest occupies a unique taxonomical position, with some authors classifying it as a mere subspecies of topi, while others place it in a separate genus Beatragus.  More often, however, the hirola is placed in the subgenus Beatragus, which both allies it with the topi and accentuates its uniqueness.  This species is thought to be the evolutionary link between true hartebeests and the sassabies (genus Damaliscus).  As such it is a relic species, and only exists today (barely) due to its unique habitat requirements.  Another name for this antelope is the "four-eyed antelope", due to its pronounced, dark-coloured preorbital glands, which are enlarged when excited.  H. C. V. Hunter (1861-1934), a big game hunter and zoologist, discovered this antelope in 1888 about 240 km / 150 miles up the Tana River in Kenya.

EMOPS FLORIDANUS

Eumops floridanus  Florida bonneted bat (Molossidae)  Eumops floridanus Florida bonneted bat  Family Name: Molossidae Genus: Eumops Species Name: floridanus  Pronunciation: you-mops floree-dan-us  Common Name: Florida bonneted bat

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The Florida bonneted bat is Florida's largest and rarest bat and may be one of the most critically endangered mammals in North America. Surveys have documented this bat in only nine locations in four southern Florida counties. Habitat loss due to rapid urbanization and heavy pesticide use are believed responsible for the rapid decline of their populations in the 1950s and 1960s. Biologists estimate the entire population of Florida bonneted bats may be less than a few hundred individuals and expect continued declines based on continued urbanization and pesticide use in Florida.

With a wingspan of up to 18 3/4 inches and weight of 37-47g, it is about 70 percent bigger than the Mexican free-tailed bat. Florida bonneted bats (formerly known as Wagner's mastiff bats) inhabit semitropical forests and have been documented roosting singly or in small colonies in a variety of locations, including limestone outcroppings, tree hollows, bat houses, chimneys and in Spanish tile roofs.

Pseudancistrus kwinti

Pseudancistrus kwinti

Philip Willink, Jan Mol and Barry Chernoff name the new species Pseudancistrus kwinti after the Kwinti people that live along the Coppename River and traditionally fish the area in which the new species was discovered in a recent issue of the journal Zootaxa.

Pseudancistrus kwinti can be distinguished from congeners in having a combination of: dentary papillae absent, complete mid-dorsal plate row, colour pattern mottled or with bars, hypertrophied odontodes along the edge of the snout, and weakly evertible cheek plates.

The new species was collected in an area of clear water and swift current with a substrate of rubble, boulders and cracked bedrock.

For more information, see the paper: Willink, PW, JH Mol and B Chernoff (2010) A new species of suckermouth armored catfish, Pseudancistrus kwinti (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Coppename River drainage, Central Suriname Nature Reserve, Suriname.


Currently, there are 18 recognized species distributed in northern South America, with the inclusion of the genera Lithoxancistrus,Guyanancistrus, the species formerly known as Hemiancistrus megacephalus, as well as the most recently described Pseudancistrus corantijniensis. There is no single morphological feature which distinguishes the group from related genera. Despite this, Pseudancistrus is generally recognized as amonophyletic group.

Chinchilla Tree Rat

NEW SPECIES: Chinchilla Tree Rat, Cuscomys ashaninka. Found in Cordillera de Vilcabamba, Peruvian Andes, southeast Peru – 1997.

This toothy creature was found during a combined RAP and Smithsonian expedition, near the famous Incan ruins of Macchu Picchu. What makes it an extra special discovery is that it is the only one of the genus, which means more species could be nearby.

Chinchilla Tree Rat

This species discovery was made during one of a number of expeditions that were carried out between 1997 and 1998. They were led by Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program and the Smithsonian’s Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program, formally known as the Man and the Biosphere Program.
The surveys took place in the Cordillera de Vilcabamba region of Peru due to its wide range of elevations and variety of habitat types which led biologists to suspect that it might hold a rich biodiversity of plants and animals some of which could be potentially new to science. The expeditions provided an initial survey of selected groups of plants and animals which helped provide support to regional conservation efforts.
The chinchilla tree rat was discovered in the Vilcabamba mountain range, very close to the world famous ruins of Macchu Picchu. The discovery was certainly very unique as typically it’s unusual to discover a species of this size (similar to that of a domestic cat). It is pale grey in color, possesses a stocky build, has large claws, and is characterized by a white stripe along its head. It is thought to be related to the chinchilla rats which are known to have been buried alongside the Incan people in their tombs.
The fact that this is a new genus (i.e. a group of individuals that have similar characteristics) made the discovery even more exciting, as it suggests there could be many more similar species just waiting to be uncovered.
Scientific Name
Cuscomys ashaninka
Where
Cordillera de Vilcabamba, Peruvian Andes, southeast Peru
When
3 expeditions in 1997 and 3 expeditions in 1998
Finder
Dr. Louise Emmons, Smithsonian Research Institute, Washington DC, USA