Golden Tree Snake

Chrysopelea ornata

The Golden Tree Snake is a member of the Chrysopelea genus, which includes five Southeast Asian dwelling species of "Flying Snake." Yes. Flying Snake.

Golden Tree Snakes (and their cousins) have the ability to flatten their ribs, suck in their guts, propel themselves off trees, and glide through the air while undulating their bodies in S-shaped motions. Their gliding motions are unlike the methods used by other gliding critters, like Flying Squirrels, which use symmetrical skin flaps to keep up in the air. The interesting motions made by the snakes have been the subject of countless studies on aerodynamics.

Like all snakes, Golden Tree Snakes are carnivores. They diurnally feed on other snakes, lizards, geckos, and even bird eggs. They aren't particularly large snakes (which is good, because some studies have shown that the larger snakes don't glide as easy), but they can be incredibly aggressive when handled.  Golden Tree Snakes are venomous, but it is not dangerous to humans.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Southeast Asia

Size : Length up to 40in (101cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Colubridae -- Genus : Chrysopelea -- Species : C. ornata

Read More

Megapiranha

Artists rendition of Megapiranha

Meet Megapiranha paranensis, a fish four times larger than it's modern day Piranha cousins! While this creature sounds like something out of a science fiction film, it was in fact a real, living fish that swam waters 10 to 8 million years ago.

We know of Megapiranha only from a jawbone and a handful of teeth! These fossils were first discovered in Argentina in the early 1900s, but weren't actually studied until the 1980s. It wasn't until 2009 that the species itself was officially identified and named.

Megapiranha is interesting not only for its gigantic size, but also for the fact that it may explain why Piranhas have the teeth they have today. Presently we have small, carnivorous Piranhas that have single rows of teeth. But we also have relatives like the Pacu, who are herbivores. Those fish have two rows of teeth. Megapiranha has a single row that is zigzagged, meaning it may have been an intermediary species between the two types.

---

Status : Extinct for 8 million years

Location : South America

Size : Length up to 3ft (.9m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Characiformes
Family : Characidae -- Genus : Megapiranha-- Species : M. paranensis

Read More

Nene

The Nene is a smallish Goose endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is also the state bird of Hawaii. There were once five Goose species found only on those islands, and unfortunately the Nene is the only one left.

Branta sandvicensis

Though the Nene is rare, it has much more in common with other North American Geese than you may think. Scientist have now uncovered the fact that Nene and Canadian Geese evolved from a same common ancestor, and that the Nene (and other Hawaiian Goose species) branched off from their relatives when a flock landed on the islands around 500,00 years ago!

Nene are opportunistic feeders that will eat just about any type of vegetation. They have a long breeding season, and mate on land, which is unusual among Geese. Females do the incubation work, while males guard the nest. While the young birds are precocial and grow quickly, they remain with their parents until the next breeding season.

The introduction of new mammal species, hunting, and habitat loss have caused this bird to become Vulnerable. The yearly hatching percentages are now low due to inbreeding in the remaining population.  Efforts are being made to increase predator control, monitor breeding grounds, and provide public education about the bird.

---

IUCN Status : Vulnerable

Location : Hawaii

Size : Height up to 16in (41cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Anseriformes
Family : Anatidae -- Genus : Branta -- Species : B. sandvicensis

Read More

Eastern Spotted Skunk

The Eastern Spotted Skunk is perhaps not what you would think of when the word "Skunk" comes to mind. After all, they don't have stripes!

Spilogale putorius

All Skunks are members of the Musteloid superfamily, which makes them relatives to Weasels, Badgers, and Racoons. Eastern Spotted Skunks are actually pretty Weasel-looking, moreso than some other Skunks, due to their slender bodies. This allows them to be more agile and active.

Not only is this species more agile and more slender than other Skunks, but it is also more social. During the winter as many as eight Skunks may share a common den. They also happen to be the only Skunk that climbs trees!

Eastern Spotted Skunks are omnivores, and they are excellent rodent catchers. Their diet changes based on the seasons, but they also eat insects, fruit, eggs, and even honey. They themselves are preyed upon by owls, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and a handful of other predators. When threatened, they do a series of handstands to warn their attackers, and if that doesn't work they shoot out their amazingly accurate musk. They can aim well to hit things as far as 16ft (5m) away!

---

IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Eastern United States

Size : Body length up to 13in (33cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Mephitidae -- Genus : Spilogale -- Species : S. putorius

Read More

Giant Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Giant Anteaters are a relatively new addition to my "Favorite Animals" list. First off, they're huge. Secondly, they have awesome tails. Thirdly, their babies hang on to their tails. And finally, I am a sucker for animals with long faces (which is probably why I own a Collie).

There are four species of Anteater, all of which can be found in the Western Hemisphere. The Giant Anteater is (un-shockingly) the largest of the bunch, and by quite a substantial amount. A full grown adult can weight well over 100lbs, while it's next largest cousin doesn't typically go over 15.

Giant Anteater

They are also really, really long. They have body lengths of around 4ft, and then a 3ft long tail after that. Their tails are also really brush-like, and help them to balance while standing up on their hind legs to feed. Giant Anteaters don't actually walk flat-footed, they curl up their paws into fists and walk on their knuckles. This keeps their long claws nice and sharp for digging.

Giant Anteaters have additional tools that help them find and slurp up prey. They have poor eyesight,a dn rely on smell to locate mounds. Once they find and dig in to a mound, they use their two foot long tongue to probe inside and collect lots and lots of ants and termites in their sticky saliva. They can flick their tongues 160 times per minute! The Anteater then uses its long jaw to detahc the meal, and its powerful stomach to grind up and break down the insects. They can consume up to 30,000 in a single day!

Giant Anteaters are solitary animals, unless they are a female with a child. Young Anteaters stay with thier mothers for as long as two years, and will ride on their backs and tails when they are small. This not only allows the little family to get around quicker, but it keeps the young one safe since its patterning camouflages it into the mother's fur. For some really, really cute pictures, check out Maripi and Pablo's gallery at the National Zoo website.

---

IUCN Status : Vulnerable

Location : Central and South America

Size : Body length 4ft (1.2m), Weight up to 140lbs (64kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Superorder : Xenarthra
Order : Pilosa -- Family : Myrmecophagidae -- Genus : Myrmecophaga -- Species : M. tridactyla

Read More

Crab Eating Fox

Cerdocyon thous

The Crab Eating Fox is a pretty interesting critter when you look at its taxonomy. Its scientific name is Cerdocyon thous, which means it is not a member of the fox genus, Vulpes. In fact, it isn't even a member of Vulpini, the Fox Tribe. They are actually members of Canini, which makes a common name a little perplexing, doesn't it? 

Crab Eating Foxes are common throughout their range, and there are five recognized subspecies. Their omnivorous and opportunistic feeding style helps them to adapt to all kinds of habitats, from forests, to savannas, to wetlands.

As you can probably guess, Crab Eating Foxes eat.. crabs, and other things too. They hunt for the crustaceans on floodplains during the wet season, and during that time of year they make up a large portion of the Fox's diet. During drier times they consume more insects, but also rodents and reptiles as well.

Crab Eating Foxes are monogamous, and live in pairs year round. They often breed twice per year. Like other Canines, the young are born helpless with their eyes and ears closed. Both parents guard the pups and bring them food once they are in the weaning process.

---

IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : South America

Size : Weight up to 16lbs (7.2kg), Body length 25in (63cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : Cerdocyon -- Species : C. thous

Read More

Meganeura

Way back, 300 million years back, there was a lot more Oxygen in the air than there is now. The reason for this is that plants essentially exploded on to the scene, taking in large amounts of Carbon Dioxide and expelling huge quantities of Oxygen in return. But while plants were covering the earth, animals, especially large Oxygen sucking land animals, just weren't there yet. This led to higher Oxygen percentages (around 32%, as compared to today's 21%).

Model of Meganeura

And what happens when you have higher Oxygen percentages? Larger bugs! Insects have a tracheal breathing system, which means that they take in all of their air through tracheae in their skin. This further means they can only grow as large as they amount of Oxygen they can take in. More Oxygen = larger sizes.

Meganeura was an example of one of the giants that popped up during this time. It was an absolutely gigantic dragonfly, with a wingspan of over 2.5ft! In comparison, the largest dragonfly today measures in at only 7.5in! Meganeura monyi, one of three uncovered species, is the largest flying insect species ever found.

Like modern Dragonflies, Meganeura was a predator. It fed on other insects and arthropods, as well as small amphibious vertebrates. Keep in mind though that Meganeura is only the largest flying arthropod. Other massive invertebrates crawled about during time (I'm looking at you Arthropleura), which means that this huge critter may have been hunting things even larger than itself! 

The entire Order that Meganeura belonged to is now extinct, due to the climate and evolutionary changes that led to a decrease in atmospheric Oxygen. Fossilized specimens have been found in England and France.

---

Status : Extinct since the Carboniferous Period, around 300 million years ago

Location : Europe

Size : Wingspan up to 2.5ft (75cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : †Meganisoptera
Family : †Meganeuridae -- Genus : †Meganeura

Read More