Binturong.

The binturong, or Asian Bearcat, is neither bear nor cat, but shares ancestors with the cats. From Eastern Asia, these nocturnal tree-dwellers are at risk of poaching (for medicinal uses) and deforestation. So they're declining. You can find them in the rain forests of places like Laos, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

They are roughly 30 lbs., so think of a small wildcat, like a bobcat or lynx. And they eat eggs, shoots, that sort of thing.

Perhaps something relatively unique to them, they are one of about 100 mammals in the world that are capable of embryonic diapause, meaning that the egg doesn't develop right after fertilization. It enters a dormant state until the environmental conditions are good -- certainly an incredible survival technique.

Also, their tails are prehensile, meaning they use them like limbs and can hang from them or swing from them, which is obviously useful for living in trees.

Lastly, they are important for the strangler fig trees native to their regions. They are able to digest a tough outer layer of its seed, allowing it to grow after passing through a Binturong. Few other mammals perform this task for the fig, but certainly these are key players for these fig trees.

Brazilian Tapir.

These mammals from S. America are related to horses and rhinos. They can actually get pretty large -- 6 to 8 feet and weigh up to 600 lbs. And as an herbivore, their biggest concern is blending in to avoid predators (anacondas / jaguars). Their nose is mobile, like an elephant shrew, and they tend to graze and swim quickly, despite its large size.

They don't attack people, with only a few exceptional cases. In those instances, they give pretty nasty bites, apparently.

Also, they're not social creatures -- makes it harder for them to hide. The only social interactions outside of breeding is when mother takes care of offspring.

If you're ever out in San Diego, they have some of these at their zoo.

Dwarf Mongoose.

Typically between 18 and 25 cm long, these are Africa's smallest carnivores. They takeover large termite mounds and dig larger exit holes -- so you know when they're around. They live in groups of up to 30 individuals, and are headed by a dominant couple, and specifically, a dominant female. This female makes decisions of when to move, when to defend territory, and when to feed.

They have a mutualistic relationship with hornbills for hunting. They'll hunt at the same time -- though they might eat slightly different things, they each observe each other for signals of birds of prey (eagles, hawks, etc), since both must avoid them.

They're pretty common, and you'll likely see them scurry frantically if you ever are camping in sub-saharan Africa.

Small-Spotted Genet.

This cat of Africa and now most of Western Europe is a wonderful one. Though common, they are hard to spot because they are nocturnal and elusive. They'll eat birds, small mammals, etc. and does this best at night, when few animals will be able to chase them.

This cat is unusual in that it retains an ancient feature -- an elongated nose. Most cats have flatter faces or broader noses, and this is thought to be a remnant of ancestral species. The top picture is from my last trip to Kenya, and he would sit in this tree all day. Which turned out to be a great teaching tool to the students. They could see him everyday, and while practicing photography skills, they were able to understand how to focus and the difference it makes (seeing as he would hide himself deep behind the branches). So, to you, genet, thank you.

Giraffe.

Giraffes are divided into several subspecies because of their variety in geographic locations; Somali giraffs, Maasai Giraffes, Rothchild's etc. all live in distinct locations and rarely interact. You can easily tell them apart by spot color (some are darker than others) and the shape of their spots (some are large and round, others are small and jagged).

They stand as the world's tallest land animal and can grow to about 17 or 18 ft. tall.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of giraffes is their personality (realize the base 'person' so please don't equate this to how they actually feel or act) is similar to that represented in the movie Madagascar -- terrified and jumpy. When hiking, I would sometimes spot a giraffe in the distance, easily at least a mile away, sticking out above the trees. When spotted, the giraffe would stand still and wait, having a look as if it hadn't been spotted. If you then move, even a little bit, though you are a mile away, it'll sprint away. It's pretty amusing.

Asiatic Lion.

Yes, there are lions in Asia. In India, in fact. People seemed shocked by this, but anyone who has studied India's history recognizes the Lion emblem and the famous Ashoka pillars from 250 BCE with lions standing tall on them. They are also the same lions found in Western Europe during the time of empires and held a range to China. The reason you may not hear about them now is because they are now extremely rare. In fact, in 1907, somewhere between 13 and 100 lions remained (the range is large because people reported lower numbers to discourage hunting). Point is, it is low.

They used to be all over India, but as populations grew, their grasslands turned to farmlands and they were slowly pushed to Sasun Gir, a small area in the state of Gujarat. The last count done in 2006 came up with 359 lions; an improvement, but still incredibly low. They run the risk of inbreeding, so if one catches an illness, that could wipe out almost the entire population as they will all be suseptible without genetic variation (Cheetah's currently face the same problem). Numbers were also low because the British would hunt them when they colonized India.

They are in fact the same species as African Lions, but are a different subspecies. In this case, that was classified because while they can technically mate and produce viable offspring, they do not regularly do so because of geographic boundaries, and are different enough to be considered its own category. The differences: They are smaller, less aggressive, with mains generally too small to cover its ears. This is supposedly because the prey they seek is smaller and weaker than the prey its African counterpart might attack. For this, they also form prides only for hunting and mating and otherwise live independently (although this, too, might be a population issue).

In any case, people surrounding the protected park now love the lions, and they are not seen as a threat. Occasionally they will venture into neighboring villages, but since they are not in a busy tourist area of India, there is little fear or bother to their lifestyle, which is one thing that the lion has in its favor. Occasionally you hear about people poisoning lions if they eat their livestock, which can devestate the population -- but it is now socially unacceptable so it is less popular -- moving it in the direction of being illegal.

Prevost's Squirrel.

Just a small post today... These squirrels live in SE Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia) and are very similar to ours here in the states.. eat nuts, fruits, occasionally bird eggs, live in trees... the usual.

In their habitat they have been credited with helping expand forest boundaries, since they tend to take nuts and seeds far away from where they find them. This spreads the seeds quickly and since the squirrel sometimes hides its finds in the dirt, it essentially
plants them if they are not retrieved quickly enough. So in a place where forests are at a crossroads with deforestation and preservation, this is certainly an animal that will be important to maintaining any sense of a natural order.

Obviously its striking feature is its coloration. This is used to fend off predators (the color red is associated with toxins for most animals, even though these contain no poison) and also as a mating display.

Narwhal.

This Marine Mammal lives in the Arctic. I realized I hadn't done a whale, let alone much that lives up there. Plus I watched a Jacques Cousteau film last night.

As you can see, they're pretty magical looking creatures. Thought to be the basis of 'unicorns' their tusks are distinct among whales (and any other living thing, for that matter). It's actually a large tooth (think: elephant tusk). And on some occasions, narwhals will grow two horns. They travel in pods of 10-100. And they are closely related to beluga whales.

They've been used in myths, apothecaries, meat and decoration. Which means its threats from humans is pretty significant.

Its scientific name, Monodon monoceros means 'one tooth, one horn.' which reminds me of the One-Eyed One horned Flying Purple People Eater. Good movie. It was originally described by Carl Lennaeus, known for his taxonomical contributions to biology. He's known as the father of it, in fact, organizing names and categories. He wasn't very good, based on this one, I'd say. "nar" is old Norse for "corpse" and was apparently described as such because of its grey skin. And whal, that means whale of course. So, of all things that stood out, it was the grey skin? really?

Oh, and don't forget to vote for a boring animal you want me to cover next week.

Hispaniolan Solenodon.

If ever there was an animal that looked like a who from whoville, it'd be this one.

It's found, you guessed it, in Hispaniola (The island split by DR and Haiti). Though it is not closely related, it is sometimes described as a shrew because of its long and mobile nose.

Their defense is essentially a strong odor and a venomous bite -- one that even its own species is not immune to (most poisonous animals are immune to its own poison). They also scare easy, clumsily run around (they're nocturnal, so eyesight during the day isn't so fantastic), and threaten to bite.

Though they are one of the few native mammals left in the island, the landscape has changed so drastically with the arrival of people, that their adaptations can't protect them from predators (for example, an Asian mongoose). So their numbers are extremely low.

What's tricky is now that the landscape has changed, it's very difficult to find an argument to protect them from a conservation standpoint. There is the argument that there is an intrinsic and irreplaceable value in the natural world, but obviously not everyone agrees with that -- hence a current environmental catastrophe. Most endangered species can be tied to its ecology and suggest how the ecological landscape might change should a specific animal suddenly disappear. However, since there are so few of these solenodons left, and the landscape is totally different than when they were most prevalent, its hard to imagine that an ecosystem would go into even a mild chaos if they were extinct.

HOWEVER, we obviously are still learning a lot about ecosystem management, so it doesn't mean we should let them go extinct. They might play a more important role than we think, as the case may be for most animals in any ecosystem. Also, for me, it's like when people talk about people having to give up a local language or cultural identity on a level to conform to a larger movement. Sure, English might be the most practical language if everyone spoke it at this point, but it'd be depressing to wipe out peoples languages and rituals in the process. Such is the case with this. Its a part of the natural history on the island and losing it would be stripping the land of something that gives it individuality, even if we never find a functional value in them.

Sorry, there's my rant.

Musk Ox.

Musk oxen are found around the artic regiosn of Canada, Greenland and US (Alaska). Though they are named oxen, they are more closely related to sheep and rams than to other ox species. One of the first things you notice is its hair. Man is that thing shaggy. When all is said and done, they typically weigh about 250 pounds -- not quite as much as you'd guess. That hair fools you. And keeps them warm. They travel in herds - male and female live together throughout the winter.

Then comes mating season (august). The males become instantly aggressive and compete the bulls fight off one another until one is left in a herd. The losers of these battles will join others who lost to form a herd of up to 10 to travel with in the tundra. And you don't want to mess with them. They are extremely aggressive and will charge anything, from birds to trees to small mammals. They also smell terrible (their 'musk'). This attracts females.

Another interesting thing about them is they, like elephants, form a ring around calves (See picture 3). They'll all face horns out to protect young from wolves, grizzly bears and polar bears. On the flip side, this makes them an easy target for humans and our stupid guns.

Picture 4 shows one molting, and Picture 2 just reminds me of something that would go on 'awkwardfamilyphoto.com'

African Elephants. Part 02: Parades, Enemies, Battles and Friendships.

To finish the post on African elephants, here's part 2. Unlike the last post, this one will cover several elephant issues and facts.

Let's start with the basics; gestation period (time pregnant) is 22 months -- useful trivia information, you'd be surprised how often that comes up. They are typically about 12 feet tall, and weight a ton. Well, 6 tons for males, and 5 1/2 for females (12,000 lbs and 11,000 lbs respectively). Their tusks are actually large teeth and yes, the trunk is its nose and no, it doesn't drink water through it. It sucks up water then sprays it in its mouth. The pictures came up a little out of order, but as you can see from the 3rd picture, they're standing in front of a car we were using (a large land rover) and it looks puny in comparison to the elephants.

Herds. Sometimes called "Parades" are built around a matriarch and contains several families -- the size varies throughout the year and depends on season and availability of resources like food and water. Sometimes they are as small as 5 or 10 elephants, but regularly can be 40 or 50, and occasionally upwards of 100. The matriarchal elephant is one of the most powerful animals that roam the plains. In most cases, no predator would dare mess with her, with a backing of dozens and dozens of other elephants. The herds are made of the adult females and their offspring up to juveniles (adult males leave the group). Though they are social groups, they primarily serve as defense and care of young. Infants are vulnerable alone and need several to intimidate predators. In most situations, the adults will surround all the young in a circle and face the predators, scaring them off. Also, the mothers provide warmth by surrounding young, preventing them from getting pneumonia as easily in cold nights. Males wander (picture 1) and basically tend to themselves. They'll interact for mating, but otherwise are independent and must find food and water alone while continually defending itself.

Picture 4 is of 2 males 'tusking' which is sort of an informal, symbolic fight. Perhaps for practice, perhaps to impress females, but they'll ram each other and tangle trunks in each others faces while jousting with their tusks.

Interactions with humans. There are lots of things I could talk about here but I'll keep it minimal. Long story short, elephants are relatively ok around people, unless they feel threatened. And with fewer resources for them to get because of development and increased droughts, they often feel more threatened in close quarters. So the relationship is becoming strained. The EU built several wells along migratino paths to try to build corridors for elephants, allowing development to occur out of the way of elephants so both could live without getting in each others way. Currently, when an elephant is speared, the other elephants of a herd pester villagers and sometimes trample homes or kill people (see picture 5). When this happens, people retaliate by killing another elephants. It keeps aggrevating people, and makes elephants more defensive and aggresive. So don't go killing one or be around people who have.

Some notes on seeing elephants in the wild:
It's ok to be near them in a car, as long as you aren't loud or in their face. If you get relatively close in a car, they'll sniff around, investigate, and carry on. If you listen to music, they pick up on low frequencies and react, sometimes violently. Maybe they associate low frequencies with threats. So don't do that. Sometimes they'll feel threatened, but they give you several warnings before charging your car. 1: they'll stare at you for a while. 2: they'll flap their ears and call sounds. 3: They'll walk up to you, within feet and flap ears. 4. back up, and sometime charge and stop near the car. 5. They'll charge you. So if they start doing a couple of the first ones, just peacefully leave. If they come up close to you, don't move. If they see movement, they might feel more threatened. I made the mistake of moving once. It was not a fun experience. Whoops!

Finally, how to make friends. If you're near elephants, sometimes they'll approach you. Not in defense, but out of curiousity. You'll know this because they'll smell for a while, then calmly walk to the car. They'll sometimes stick their trunk in the car, and feel around. If they touch you, it's ok. If their trunk is there for a few seconds, take its trunk and blow into it. It might seem stupid or scary, but they know scents well, and that's how it'll remember you. They'll remember you for about 6 years, in fact. It's true, elephants do have fantastic memory. If you swat it away, it won't be happy. It's like extending a hand for a handshake, and them slapping it away instead of shaking it. That's just rude. So either blow into it, or sit still. If you choose the former, assuming you don't piss it off by taunting it, you'll be bff. or bff6y (best friends for 6 years).

Hope you like the pictures!

African Elephants. Part 01: Death.

I absolutely love african elephants. Hands down, one of my favorite animals. Why? First, seeing them in their territory feels magical. I suddenly forget anything going on in the world, and am genuinely mesmerized with how majestic they are. Since I love them so much, I'm going to break this post up so 1. I can show you more of my pictures (this is one of the few posts I actually have pictures for!), 2. I can organize all the things I think are fascinating about them. Today's topic:

Death.

Why? It gives me perspective. The lifespan of an elephant is ~70 years, and outside of poaching, they aren't attacked by most animals, and the few that do only do out of desperation. So it's safe to say most elephants that are born are going to make it outside of human threats. Now think about the fact that for the 70 years that an elephant roams plains and forests, going from food to water to shade. In that same 70 years, somehow people have had WWII, internet, bad pop music, Vietnam, Kim Jong Il, civil rights, you name it. It's a nice reminder to know that while we are getting worked up about, no doubt important issues, there are things going on outside of the realm of human politics, culture and injustices. That's why it gives me perspective.

On to the story. Elephants deal with death on a level beyond most animals. In the 2nd picture, you see a matriarch tending to her 2 week old baby who just collapsed and died within minutes. She is trying to get the baby back on his feet, but he keeps falling over. Then some sort of realization; she trumpets, calling over other elephants. The others walk toward her, bringing up dust moreso than usual, seen in picture 3. They then cover the deceased with dust, twigs, leaves -- anything around. While doing this, several elephants trumpet and then start showing signs of stress: a liquid trickles down their face behind their eyes (though it is not fully understood and they are not quite the same as tears, they do this in stressful situations and in situations where one would imagine extreme relief, like finding a waterhole after days of searching). This is seen in picture 4. Here's where it gets crazy. Every day, this herd will come to the same site, and cover the baby until one day, it's just bones. When that happens, the elephants will pass around the bones with their trunks in a ritual, then eventually go back to its daily needs. After sometimes years and years (some have been recorded to come to the death site for as many as 6 years), the bones will be so scattered from passing them around that they no longer pinpoint the death to a specific spot -- this is when they stop coming.

Even crazier: studies have been done that suggest that elephants actually recognize individuals even if just bones are left. If one strayed, died, and they later came across it, they would perform the ritual. If they are traveling, they will rest there overnight, then continue their journey in the morning. If they handn't interacted with that elephant, they likely won't stop for long. It's fascinating that they can recognize bones as specific to elephants and even more fascinating that they can recognize. Crazy.

Final fact. As I said, most elephants die at around 70 years old, if living in a healthy environment. This isn't due to a lack of brain function or old age in sorts, it's because of hunger. Elephants have 6 sets of teeth, replacing themselves about every 10 years. When they're 70, they no longer have teeth coming in, so their teeth wear out an they can no longer chew twigs and hence, can't swallow much food. At this point, they pretty much seclude themselves to river banks, where trees might be moist, making it easier for them to eat food. And this is where they die -- hence, and elephant graveyard. Picture 5 is of an elephant's worn out set 6 teeth, found by a graveyard.

That's all for today.

Next time I'll tell you more about elephants, like how herds function, protect young, what the males do, warning signs before attacks, interactions with humans and how to become instant friends with an elephant in the wild.

I hope it's becoming clear to you why I think elephants are fantastic.

Shameless plug: If you liked the pictures, visit my website!

Pangolin.

8 species of Pangolin live throughout the tropics of Africa and Asia. It was originally thought these were related to anteaters / sloths / armadillos. However, it turns out its not really closely related with any living groups. If traced far enough, it's related to cats, dogs and bears -- but that's quite a long time ago that they shared an ancestor. Before discovering this different, they were thought to be related to anteaters and armadillos because of their scales, shape and lack of teeth (so they slurp up termites).

They're the only mammal with keratin scales as their defense, and often remind people of reptiles, though they are not.

Their defenses: scales / armor, claws and finally, an odor secretion similar to those of skunks.

Their name comes from the Malay "Pengguling" meaning "something that rolls up." More creative than when Americans name things that roll up ("fruit roll-up").

Pangolins face many threats: Bush meat in Africa, habitat destruction (deforestation), use of hide and scales for making armor for kings and finally it is sometimes used in traditional chinese medicine to supposedly help blood circulation and produce more milk for breast-feeding mothers.

UPDATE: New report about illegal trading.

Dugong.

The Dugong lives in S. Pacific and Indian Ocean waters. Feeding on seagrass beds, they live close to shores, of course making it more vulnerable to fishing and boating accidents as a leading cause of death.

You might think 'those are just manatees!' You'd be wrong. They are very closely related (same order), however there are 3 species of manatee and 1 species of dugong in that order. Like manatees, they are often called 'sea cows' as well as 'sea pigs' and 'sea camels.' The word "Dugong," however, comes from the Malay word "Duyong" meaning "lady of the sea." Interesting, considering manatees were thought to be mermaids. Seems like people all over the world think animals in this order are first beautiful and feminine, then under closer inspection, find them ugly. They're gentle giants and would do you no harm. Unless you are a bed of seagrass.