Last Chance to See

By Douglas Adams, Mark Carwardine
Paperback : 256 Pages
October 13, 1992

In 1988, writer Douglas Adams teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine to travel the word and see some of its rarest and most spectacular animals. Their journey was made into BBC radio series, as well as a book that Adams penned.

In Last Chance to See, we follow these two as they search for the Aye-aye, the Kakapo, the Northern White Rhino, the Baiji, the Komodo Dragon, Mountain Gorilla, and the Rodrigues Fruit Bat. These are all species that were down to scarily low numbers.

Fact : The Kakapo is the cutest bird.

While the material is now dated*,  the book was a delight to read. I'm a big fan of Adams and his Hitchhiker's Guide series, and the book reads with his same voice and sense of humor. It's amazingly entertaining, on top of being an informative work on some of the most critically endangered species of the time.

Not too long ago, Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine went back and revisited some of the animals from the original 1988 trip (Adams died in 2001), this time making a video documentary series. I'm seriously considering buying the DVD off Amazon. Stupid Netflix.

*The Baiji is now extinct, the Northern White Rhino is most likely extinct in the wild, and other species have been rebounding well due to conservation efforts.

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Iguanodon

Iguanodon

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Reptilia
Superorder : Dinosauria
Order : †Ornithischia
Family : †Iguanodontidae
Genus : †Iguanodon

Length : 33ft (10m)
Weight : 10,000lbs (4,500kg)

Status : Extinct for around 110 million years

"Iguanodon" refers to several different discovered species within the genus Iguanodon. Theses Dinosaurs are notable because they were actually discovered before the word Dinosaur even existed! Around 1820 English geologist Gideon Mantell discovered a tooth of one of these guys in Sussex, England. He thought the tooth looked like a large Iguana tooth and the name stuck. Mantell continued to do research on Iguanodons and other fossilized species until his death in 1852.

Mantell's Iguanodon
 Teeth Illustration

Iguanodons were herbivores that lived in what is now Europe, Asia, and North America. The various species lived in the early Cretaceous, around 140-110 million years ago. They had three fingers on each hand, along with a thumb that had a hooked claw that could be used for grasping food and for defense. Iguanodon mouths had teeth in the back but none in the front. This was so they could tear apart plant materials with their beak-like mouths and then chew.

Iguanodons could move on all fours, but also on just their hind legs, due to the fact that their front limbs were only about 3/4 the size of the back limbs. They most likely moved in packs, like many modern herbivores do, and they laid eggs.

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The Greatest Show on Earth

By Richard Dawkins
Hardcover : 480 Pages
September 22, 2009

Written by the famed (and perhaps infamous) evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution explains the Theory of Evolution in wonderful detail, providing information from expeditions, experiments, and from the observation of nature itself. Like the man or not, he really knows and loves this material, and that devotion to the science shines through.

Though there are copies in audiobook form read by the author, as well as black and white eBook editions, I would recommend the print version which is chock full of color diagrams, illustrations and plates that back up and enhance the arguments, and help to bring better understanding to the examples.

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Antlion

Adult Euroleon nostras

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Neuroptra
Family : Myrmeleontidae

Wingspan : 1-6in (2.5-15cm), varies by species

If we want to get technical, the term "Antlion" most commonly refers to the larvae of the family Myrmeleontidae, but it has come to be a collective term for the 2,000 different species as well. Antlions can be found in sandy and arid habitats worldwide.

Antlion Larvae

In North America these insects are also referred to as Doodlebugs, due to the the tracings that they leave in the sand when building their pit traps. Larvae build pit traps by creating spiraled funnel in loose soil. They then sit at the bottom of the trap with only their head exposed, waiting for prey to fall in.

The Antlion name comes from the fact that their larval form primarily hunts and consumes ants. Antlions spend a majority of their life in larval form, sometimes up to three years! Once they cocoon and become winged adults they live only for about a month, which is enough time to find a mate and reproduce.

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Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Hippopotamidae
Genus : Hippopotamus
Species : amphibius

Length : 10-16ft (3-5m)
Weight : Males 3,500-10,000lbs (1,600 to 4,5035 kgs); Females 3,000lbs (1,400 kgs)

IUCN Status : Vulnerable

The Hippopotamus is the third heaviest of all land animals, behind the Elephant and White Rhino. A large males can weight as much at 10,000lbs (4,535kg)! Even at birth they are huge; a newborn weighs around 100lbs (45kg).

Hippopotamuses are one of the most dangerous land mammals in Africa. Males are especially territorial and use their long tusks for fighting over land and harems of females. Threatened Hippos can attack and kill humans, and are able to run at speeds of up to 14mph (30kph).

Hippopotamus Teeth

Hippopotamuses have skin that needs to constantly stay moist. In order to accomplish this they remain in water for as long as possible, sometimes up to 16 hours a day. Adults can hold their breath for around 5 minutes (though longer times have also been observed in necessary situations), while newborns can last only about half a minute. Hippos also secrete a weird, reddish colored mucus that keeps the skin moist and helps to prevent sunburn. It is also thought that this mucus might help to prevent skin infections.

At night, the Hippos leave the water to graze. Interestingly, they eat very little compared to their body weight, only around 1-1.5%.

Illegal hunting and habitat loss have hurt Hippopotamus numbers, and overall their population is decreasing. They are protected in many areas, but coverage and enforcement is spotty.

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King of Saxony Bird-of-Paradise

Male King of Saxony Bird-of-Paradise

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Passeriformes
Family : Paradisaeidae
Genus : Pteridophora
Species : alberti

Body Length : 8.5in (22cm)
Plume Length : 20in (50cm)

IUCN Status : Least Concern

The King of Saxony Bird-of-Paradise is a little bird with a HUGE name... and some pretty long feathers to match. Females are brownish-gray and plain, which helps to camouflage them, but males of the species are colorful and have some incredible headgear- long plumes that appear to stick out from their ears! These scalloped, iridescent feathers can stick up at will, and are used in their mating displays.They are so strange looking that when the first specimens were brought back to Europe, many believed them to be fake!

Males are territorial. They call and sing songs to lure in potential females, and wow them with their plume movements. After mating, the female leaves and the male works to attract more females. Females lay one egg, which she alone cares for.

King of Saxony's live in New Guinea, and are one of several "Bird-of-Paradise" species, though they are the only member of their specific genus. They are named for Albert, a late 19th century King of Saxony.

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Long Nosed Bandicoot

Long Nosed Bandicoot

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Peramelemorphia
Family : Peramelidae
Genus : Perameles
Species: nasuta

Length : 12-18in (30-46cm)
Weight : 2.2lbs (1kg)

IUCN Status : Least Concern

I'm going to be honest. Yesterday's animal (the Melon Aphid) grossed me out a bit. Tiny virus spreading insects that lives in massive swarms are just a wee bit unnerving to me, so today I need to turn it around and do something a little less frightening... like Bandicoots. Which I suppose could be a bit creepy if encountered after dark, (which is when they are most active) but better than Aphids at least...

There are actually about twenty different species of Bandicoot, which are marsupials found in Australia. This species in particular is found along the eastern edge of the continent. The Long Nosed Bandicoot is the largest member of its genus, and it has an exceptionally long snout (hence the name.) They are a bit plain in color, and don't have some of the fancy stripes that the other species have.

Did you know that the female Long Nosed Bandicoot is only pregnant for 12 days? The young are helpless at birth, like all tiny marsupials are, but it only takes them 60 days to be completely weaned. The female can then produce another litter just days later. Females have pouches that open toward the rear, which keeps their young from getting dirt kicked at them while mom digs for food.

Long Nosed Bandicoots are omnivores, and spend their nights foraging for roots and insects. They dig holes with their feet and stick their snouts in to sniff for meals. During the day their sleep in burrows.

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