Metoposaurus

Metoposaurus

Though amphibians today are small and tend to take a backseat to larger vertebrates in terms of dominance, they were once some of the top land animals on the planet! During the Carboniferous and Permian periods, before the dawn of the Dinosaurs, Amphibians were some of the largest land animals around, and the size even carried over for millions of years after the Permian ended.

Meet Metoposaurus, an amphibian that measured up to 10ft long and lived during the Triassic over 220 million years ago. Though unrelated, it did share some physical similarities to modern alligators and crocodiles- a long, broad snout, sharp teeth, and a long tail that helped to propel them through water.

Metoposaurus was an aquatic hunter, as evidence by the tail and by the fact that their limbs were relatively weak. Scientists think they may have even used their arms like flippers! Even so, I wouldn't want to mess with a 1,000lb tetrapod!

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Status : Extinct for 220 million years

Location : Europe and North America
Size : Length up to 10ft (3m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Amphibia -- Order : Temnospondyli
Family : Metoposauridae -- Genus : Metoposaurus

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Olive Sea Snake

Aipysurus laevis

Olive Sea Snakes, named for their scale coloration, are found in shallow reef areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are typically found no deeper than 150ft (45m).

They are fully aquatic; they and live, breed, and feed underwater, but they must surface for air once every half hour. These snakes even give birth underwater, to live young!

Olive Sea Snakes are actually venomous, and can do a lot of damage if they bite you. Fortunately, bites are uncommon, and an antivenom exists.

They feed on fish and crustaceans, and are active during both day and night.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Indian and Pacific Oceans
Size : Length up to 6.5ft (2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family:  Elapidae -- Genus : Aipysurus -- Species : A. laevis

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Black-Throated Magpie-Jay

Calocitta colliei

This week, a major plot line of the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory revolved around a bird. A very pretty bird that was referred to only as a Blue Jay, though it was unlike any Blue Jay I had ever seen. But I think I've found it! (And since writing this it appears that Wikipedia has backed me up)

The Black-Throated Magpie-Jay is a really beautiful Jay that lives in northern Mexico. They are easily identified by their long blue tails, their black crests, and their loud cries. They are omnivores that feed on berries, nuts, insects, and even small mammals and carrion!

Black-Throated Magpie-Jays live in pairs or in small groups. During the breeding season they build messy nests  high up in thorny trees. The female does all the incubating, and will not leave her nest for several weeks while her mate feeds her.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Mexico
Size : Length up to 30in (76cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Corvidae -- Genus : Calocitta -- Species : C. colliei

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Western Black Rhinoceros

Diceros bicornis longipes

Sad news has been spreading around the animal world this week. The Western Black Rhinoceros, a subspecies of the Black Rhinoceros, has been officially declared extinct.

The population has been on the decline for over a century, due to poaching and lack of government conservation effort. Some conservation measures were put into place decades ago, but they eventually disappeared, along with the Rhino numbers. But 2000 it was estimated that only 10 survived.

The Western Black Rhino could soon be joined by two other Rhinoceros species that are also on the brink of extinction. Illegal poaching has long brought tragedy to these large mammals.

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IUCN Status : Extinct

Location : Central Africa
Size : Height up to 5.5ft (1.7m), Weight up to 2,900lbs (1,300kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Perissodactyla
Family : Rhinocerotidae -- Genus : Diceros -- Species : D. bicornis -- Subspecies : D. b. longipes

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Hesperocyon

Hesperocyon

Meet one of the world's oldest canines- Hespercyon. This creature, which kind of looks more like a weasel than a dog, lived in North America way back around 40 million years ago!

Though it had weak legs and a slender body, there are still a couple of indicators that let us know that Hesperocyon was an early member of the dog family. For one, they had ear bones that correspond with those in Canines. They also had teeth that were positioned in a dog-like way.

Hesperocyon died out around 34 million years ago, and was succeeded by dozens of other Hesperocyoninae species. They are not, however, ancestors to modern dogs. Within the Canidae family there rose three different subfamilies, the aforementioned Hesperocyoninae, the also Borophaginae, and Caninae. Only members of the Caninae subfamily are still around.

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Status : Extinct for 34 million years

Location : North America
Size : Body Length around 3ft (.9m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Subfamily : †Hesperocyoninae -- Genus : †Hesperocyon

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Bali Mynah

Leucopsat rothchildi

Of all the animals that live on the Indonesian island of Bali, only one is endemic- today's animal, the Bali Mynah. This stunning white bird is a member of the Starling family, and is found on only one tiny portion of the already tiny island.

The Bali Mynah is actually a national emblem for Indonesia, and is the official bird of Bali. Unfortunately they are on the brink of extinction, and there may only be about a dozen left in the wild. Thankfully, legal exports and breeding programs have led to a captive population of around 1,000 birds.

So what happened to the Bali Mynah? Why are there so few? Two major issues- poaching and habitat loss. These already rare, striking birds have been illegally captured for the pet trade. They've also suffered severe encroachment into their small range.

Protected parks (with armed guards!) have been set up to protect the few wild birds left, and some of the captive born Mynahs are being reintroduced to their native range.

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered

Location : Bali, Indonesia
Size : Body Length up to 10in (26cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Sturnidae -- Genus : Leucopsar  -- Species : L. rothschildi

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Dark-Spotted Anaconda

Eunectes deschaunenseei

Meet one of the lesser known members of the Anaconda Clan, the Dark-Spotted or De Schauensee's Anaconda. The species is named for Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee, who donated the first captive specimen to the Philadelphia Zoo in 1924. There remain a handful of captive snakes worldwide.

We don't really know very much about these snakes. They are found in parts of Brazil and French Guiana, but they are so rarely spotted that no one knows much relating to their behavior, or even how large their population is!

What we do know is that like all the Anacondas, they are non-venomous. And based on the observation of a few females, they have litters that number between 2 and 26.

It's pretty amazing to think that we know so much about the Green and Yellow Anacondas, but that their close relative remains such a mystery!

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient

Location : South America

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Boidae -- Genus : Eunectes -- Species : E. deschauenseei

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