Fossa – Madagascar’s Top Predator
Tagged: Environmental Issue
Starfish – Sea Star, Armed Sea Critter
The starfish is incorrectly named. The starfish simply isn’t a fish and for centuries marine biologists and scientists have been trying to get it renamed the “sea star” as it is. In fact, the starfish is an echinoderm. The echinoderm group also includes closely related species like the sand dollars, sea urchins and sea cucumber.
Scarlet Macaw – Vibrant Plumage, Tropical Noise-Maker
The scarlet macaw is native to South America. The species once had a large habitat to call home, including subtropical rainforests and savannah areas of Central and South America. Over the last couple of hundred years, the natural population has dropped severely, due to hunting, poaching, deforestation and the use of pesticides for cash crops.
Snapping Turtle – Aggressive Biter
There are two kinds of Snapping Turtle: the Common Snapping Turtle and the larger Alligator Snapping Turtle. As its name suggests, the Common Snapping Turtle is more wide-spread and can be found in a large area, from southeastern Canada, to the Rocky Mountains, east as far as Florida and Nova Scotia, and down south as far as Ecuador.
Pygmy Elephant
One of the most endangered species in Borneo, the pygmy elephant lives in the forests and lowland river valleys feeding on grasses, fruits, palms and banana plants. As Asia’s largest land mammal, hunters seeking ivory tusks and the loss of habitat from deforestation threaten this unique elephant species.