Quokka

Quokka

Description: Scientifically known as the Setonix Brachyurous, which is the only member of the genus Setonix. This animal belongs to the family known as macropods and is about as small as a house cat. Macropods include kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, pademelons, and quokkas. This animal, like many other macropods, is nocturnal and is a herbivore. This animal typically weighs 5-11 pounds and about 1.5-2 feet long, including a long tail measuring about a foot long. It has a stocky build, with rounded ears and a short broad head. Some people regard this animal as “the happiest animal on earth” due to the fact that it seemingly always has a smile on its face. The Quokka is also has no fear of humans and it is commonly approached by humans. It is estimated that there are about 12,000 of these animals left on earth, while 7,000 are believed to live on Rottnest Island.

 

Habitat and Range: These animals can be found off the coast of Australia, in particular on an island called Rottnest Island. These were actually the first Australian mammals seen by the Europeans. They saw this animal and named the island “Rotte nest”, which in Dutch means “rat nest” as they had no idea what this animal was. On this island, the Quokkas commonly occupy a variety of habitats from semi-arid scrub to cultivated gardens. One favorite plant the Quokka enjoys eating is called the Guichenotia.

Importance and Role in the Ecosystem: The Quokka plays a vital role in its ecosystem. The plants on the coastal island could become overgrown as this is the Quokka’s main diet. Also, many of the birds that depend on this animal for food may become famished. When people first came to this island, many of these animals were viewed as giant rats and were unfortunately killed. But, along with clearing and burning of certain areas, the human interaction with these animals also negatively affects their population due to humans feeding them food that is bad for their digestive system. These animals regulate the plants and flowers it eats and is a popular animal to want to see in these areas of the world. There is actually a funny article about why these animals need to be saved and how many people love taking pictures of them and viewing them. http://www.buzzfeed.com/samimain/behold-the-quokka#.aoK4BPBv

Cause of Decline: The populations of these animals seem to vary in the short term, but are stable if you look at the long term population estimates. But, recently, habitat clearing and the introduction to foxes and feral cats has led to a decline in the population of the Quokka. In some areas, there have been foxes that have been controlled by certain people, which have led to increased population in some areas. But, clearing and burning of these certain areas is a main contributor to the decline of this animal.

 

Current Conservation Efforts: Many family groups of Quokkas have already been placed in reserves where they are kept safe from predators. This is actually helping the population stay steady and help keep the number of these animals above 10,000. Maybe if the human interaction law with these animals was stricter, we would also help save some of these animals as we are the main cause of decline.

How Can You Help: By not feeding these animals food that they are not used to, we can save some of the Quokka population because this sometimes makes the animals sick and can die. We can try to regulate how much logging we do in this area as we are destroying the homes of these animals and others alike. There are many reserves out there that are trying to keep these animals alive and make sure the population does not drop anymore. By donating or even trying to spread awareness of this animals condition, we can save the Quokkas!

Alabama Waterdog

Alabama Waterdog

Description: Scientifically referred to as the Necturus Alabamensis, is a type of salamander that, as you can guess, lives in the rivers and streams of Alabama. This salamander grows to around 6 to 8 inches and it has four toes on the front and hind feet. These animals also have bush-like red gills. Typical adult Alabama Waterdog’s are brown or black with no spotting, but have a white underside. This animal actually does not have any population estimates due to the species rarity and its sporadic occurrences.

Habitat and Range: This animal is nocturnal and often hides under rocks and other debris which is why, over many years, this animal has evolved to have a very flat body. These animals are mostly abundant during the winter months and are extremely rare to find during the summer months. This species only resides in the Black River Warrior Basin of Alabama where it inhabits large streams with large logs, submerges ledges, and other hiding places on the stream floor. Leaf beds are important for these animals, especially during breeding season as they require cover for their nesting sites.

Role in the Ecosystem: The Alabama Waterdog’s diet includes earthworms, crayfish, aquatic invertebrates, snails and small fish. This animal is responsible for the regulation of snails and crayfish in the Alabama area.

Cause of Decline: Water quality in this area has decreased due to industrial, mining, agricultural, and urban pollution are the primary reasons for the decline of these species. The remaining Waterdog population is separated from each other due to inhabitable conditions within the streams. With the pollution in the water, it creates inhabitable areas for these animals to live and thrive in. Their eggs are not able to develop for a long enough time in order to mature until they “hatch”.

Importance: These animals are important in the regulation of over population of snails and crayfish in the Alabama. This animal also is prey among some larger fish in the area where sometimes food for larger fish can be scarce in this area. The pollution and hard living conditions make it hard for many organisms to live in this area.

Current Conservation Efforts: Unfortunately at this time, the state of Alabama provides no protection for the Alabama Waterdog. The Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and the Clean Water Act of 1972 have been ineffective in preventing the continued decline of species in the Black Warrior basin. The State of Alabama should prioritize and fund a conservation program for this species, and fix the issue of water pollution throughout the Alabama area. Making this species a symbol of local pride in a clean and healthy environment could promote public support and drive conservation action across the state.

 

How Can You Help: The mining and pollution around this area needs to be regulated much more closely if there is going to be any chance of survival for this species. By reducing the amount of liter and trash we are consistently putting around the lakes and streams, we can help save many more species like the Alabama Waterdog.

Andean Flamingo

Description: This specific species of flamingo is one of the rarest flamingos on earth. This flamingo has a pale pink body with almost white upper parts with a very pink neck. Surprisingly, this flamingo is the only flamingo with yellow legs and three-toed feet. Pictured below, the bill of the flamingo is solid black with a hint of pale yellow towards the top. The population of these animals is around 34,000 and is decreasing rapidly over the years. These flamingos are filter-feeders and their diet is very odd as they eat anything from algae to small fish. The reason they are filter-feeders is because of their unique bill and how the bill filters the water in order to only leave the food denser than the water in the bill (shown in third picture below).

Species Habitat and Range: The Andean Flamingo, as you could have guessed, lives in the wetlands of the Andes mountain range from Southern Peru to Argentina and Northern Chile. This animal has the ability to travel and migrate over long distances. This bird even has the ability to travel up to 700 miles in one day! During the summer time, this animal lives in the salt lakes and then moves to the lower wetlands for the winter.

Role in the Ecosystem: These animals have a great impact on the populations of aquatic algae, diatoms (which are most common types of phytoplankton), and plankton as these are their main diet. These animals do not have significant economic importance to humans but they do provide food and ecotourism to humans. Some programs profit from the appreciation of these natural areas that these animals can be viewed in. Seeing these animals in their natural habitat would be rare and would provide for some great scenery.

Cause of Decline: One of the main reasons there has been such a great decline in the population of these creatures is something called mining excavations. Mining excavations is the exposure, processing, and recording of archaeological remains. These sites are large in area and force these animals to move elsewhere. The area in which these animals live contain high doses of something called Borax. Borax is a boron compound that is very toxic to these animals but offers no harm to humans. When we go in and create these mining excavations, we release this toxin and causes skeletal malformations, cardiovascular defects and degeneration of testis. The people working at the mining site are unaffected while the animals suffer and eventually die. Also, these animals are becoming extinct due to people collecting these flamingo eggs which is illegal. This illegal hunting of the eggs has increased over time because the demand of these eggs is increasing.

Importance of these creatures: The flamingo is part of the world’s food chain and many animals would be affected one way or another. For example, the shrimp and krill’s population will increase because they will not be eaten as much. This could mean that in some lakes or lagoons there will be hundreds in them. Shrimp and krill eat plankton, therefore the population of plankton would decrease meaning the water purity would be effected. Plankton are an important part in keeping the lakes and waters clean. Just from one animal’s extinction, many things will be effected.

Current Conservation Efforts: Just recently, in 2010, was this animals declared endangered. It was stated that this animal would be protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Flamingo Specialist Group is trying to inform the public of how quickly these animals are becoming extinct and they are trying to educate the world on how we can help. They are trying to find a way to solve the problem of egg collecting and poaching. One great way to do this, is to make people aware of this problem. One big way we can help is to not litter in any circumstance. Often times, these animals find a way to get garbage around their neck and slowly kill these animals. We are the source of the animal’s extinction and by conserving our litter, we can help save many animals. Also, we can visit various zoos that have captive breeding programs. We need to save the Andean Flamingos or many animals will be affected!

Addax

Description:  The Addax, which is also known as the white antelope, is an antelope that lives mainly in the Sahara Desert. This animal has long twisted horns that are 20-31 inches long for females and 28-33 inches long for males (shown in first picture).

This is a great way to tell the difference between the genders of these animals. These animals are roughly three and a half feet tall and weigh anywhere between 130 pounds to 300 pounds. During the different seasons, their color of their fur changes slightly. In the winter, their coat is greyish-brown with white legs and long brown hair on their head, shoulders, and neck. In the summer, the coat turns almost completely white or a sandy blonde color. Today, it is said that around 500 of these animals are thought to exist in the wild, while 1000 are said to be in captivity.

Species Habitat and Range:  The Addax is well-adapted to live in desert habitats as they can survive without water for long periods of time. Some areas these animals live in have less than 100 mm of annual rainfall. The natural habitats of the Addax are arid regions, semi-deserts, and deserts with stone. Formerly, this animal is widespread in the Saharan region of Africa, west of the Nile Valley and all countries sharing the Sahara Desert. Today, the only known self-populating area is present in the Termit Massif Reserve (Niger). But, this animal is extremely rare to find in its natural habitat due to unregulated hunting. This animal is extinct in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Western Sahara. Areas where these animals reside are displayed in a shaded green area below, and areas where these animals have now been introduced are shaded in red near the top.

Species Role in Ecosystem and Importance:  Antelopes, including the Addax, are important to habitats as grazers and browsers. Also, since these animals live in such extreme conditions, they are important for Carnivores that are in search of food. But, since these animals are becoming extinct, humans must try to regulate the Carnivores from making the Addax become extinct. Many people that are in need of shoes, clothing, and tools often times are in need of animals that are as rare as the people that live in these areas. I would never be in favor of the killing of an animal, and these animals should be respected and regarded as one of the rarest antelopes in the world. With such a small population, these animals are a reward to even see out in the wild. These animals have some of the most beautiful horns and are regarded as the rarest antelope on earth. If we do not act now, many people and hunters will believe that its acceptable to hunt and extinct any species of antelope.

Cause of Decline: Since the mid-1800s, the population of the Addax has decrease by nearly 85%. And, unfortunately this decrease is mainly due to overhunting. These animals are slow in nature and are an easy target for hunters. Their meat, leather, and horns are highly prized for hunters, which is resulting in an increase in Addax deaths by humans. Also, due to habitat destruction by humans, these animals are not able to survive without those certain conditions. After the World Wars, these animals almost became extinct. Many experts say that the only reason these animals are still around is because of the amount of time they can survive without food or water and because of the help of humans to breed and keep them alive.

Current Conservation Efforts: Today, there are over 1000 Addax in Europe, Israel, Libya, Egypt, North America, Japan, and the US where the private captive breeding programs are located. These animals are protected in certain areas like Morocco and Algeria where they are protected from hunters. These animals are being introduced to different places in order to try and save this quickly decreasing population. They are protected by people and are being placed in areas that are inhabited by fewer humans to avoid hunters. These animals are a treasure to find and should not be viewed as an animal we can easily afford to lose.

Guidelines for Helping: A global conservation has been rallied for the Addax, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). With the aid of substantial captive stocks managed in zoos worldwide, reintroduction efforts are in progress in Tunisia in Northern Africa and are being led by the Sahara Conservation Fund. If you would like to donate to this fund, you can do so by visiting their website at www.saharaconservation.org! Let’s save these beautiful creatures!