Corsac Fox

Vulpes corsac

How can you not love the face on this guy? It just looks so... devious.

Anyway. This is the Corsac Fox, a member of the Vulpes genus that can be found throughout the steppes of Central Asia.  There are three recognized subspecies that are distributed across the continent.

Corsac Foxes live in the arid steppes,  which are dry grasslands that don't contain an overabundance of water. In order to survive, the foxes have adapted to the point that they don't need to drink actual water, they ingest it all from the food they eat! These foxes eat all sorts of small mammals, including wild gerbils and hamsters. They also eat insects and carrion.

The mating season in spring is pretty interesting for Corsac Foxes. Males fight each other for females, but then instead of mating and leaving, they actually stick around and form a monogamous bond with the female. The two parents help to raise their litter, which can number as many as 11 kits at one time! During the winter months the foxes often hunt in groups with their now grown-up children.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Central Asia
Size : Body length up to 2ft (63cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : Vulpes -- Species : V. corsac

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Ribbon-tailed Astrapia

Astrapia mayeri (male)

Though it does not bear the name, the Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is in fact a Bird-of-Paradise. They are endemic to a small range in central Papua New Guinea, where they are luckily still common due to their remote environment.

As with all Birds-of-Paradise, the Ribbon-tailed Astrapia is more spectacular looking in its male form. They have iridescent green, blue, and bronze plumage around their heads, and shiny black bodies. When full grown they sport the longest tail feathers (in comparison to body size) of any bird. Though their body length is only about one foot, their long white tail can grow to three or four feet!

Females are a duller brownish-black, and do not have a fancy tail. But then again, they don't need such flashy displays to mate. The males compete in a lek system, and jump from branch to branch flaunting their plumage. Females select who they want to breed with, and after doing the deed they go off to nest and incubate alone (where the camouflaging brown certainly comes in handy!)

Though they are common in their range, the fact that the range is so tiny has caused the bird to be listed as near Threatened. Interestingly, they share their little patch of land with another species, the Princess Stephanie's Astrapia, and the two are known to mate and produce hybrids. The genus name Astrapia is Greek for "flashing" which is very appropriate for a group of wonderfully plumed little show offs!

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : Papua New Guinea
Size : Body length up to 1ft (32cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Paradisaeidae -- Genus : Astrapia -- Species : A. mayeri

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Milkfish

Chanos chanos

Meet the Milkfish, an interesting creature that can be found off of the coasts and in the reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are also a national symbol in the Philippines.

What makes the Milkfish so interesting? Well, for one, they are the only living member of their entire family, and are one of only a few species living within their entire order that dates back to the Cretaceous! Secondly, they have no teeth. Despite the fact that they can grow to lengths of up to 5ft, they feed only on algae and very small invertebrates.

Milkfish are referred to as Bangus in the Philippines, and the farming of these fish has been an industry there for around six hundred years! China, Taiwan, and Indonesia have also been commercially raising the fish for centuries, and each country has it's own method for handling the nurseries, the raising of the fish, and the harvesting.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Indian and Pacific Oceams
Size : Length up to 5ft (1.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Gonorynchiformes
Family : Chanidae -- Genus : Chanos -- Species : C. chanos

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Javan Myna

Acridotheres javanicus

I spent all day yesterday at the San Diego Zoo and hung out in the various aviaries for quite a while. My favorite was the one that featured the birds of South East Asia- those Bali Mynas just seemed to pose so perfectly! But alas, I've written about the Bali Myna before, so lets learn today about one of their genus sharing cousins, the Javan Myna.

Where the Bali is white, the Javan is black. They have specks of white on their tails and wings, and sport bright yellow eyes and beaks. They are found throughout South East Asia, either as a native or an invasive species, depending on the area. Javan Mynas are very adaptable birds; they live in a variety of habitats and feed on many different types of food.

Javan Mynas live in large flocks, and are actually able to mimic the calls of other birds. Alas, while some Mynas are able to mimic humans, this particular species cannot.

Javan Mynas are incredibly common birds throughout their range, and so they are not in any conservation-related danger. In fact, they might be causing some issues with other bird populations, as they are an invasive species. Their adaptability has allowed them to successfully spread into urban areas, and did you know that they are the most populous bird in the small nation of Singapore?

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient
Location : Southeast Asia
Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Sturnidae -- Genus : Acridotheres -- Species : A. javanicus

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Great Blue Turaco

Corythaeola cristata

Allow me to introduce you to the Great Blue Turaco, the largest of all the Turacos. This particular species can be found throughout central Africa, living within small groups in forested areas with elevations below around 2,700 ft. An interesting fact is that they are excellent climbers, but are poor when it comes to flying.

Oftentimes when you see a colorful bird such as this one, you assume that only the males have such excellent, vibrant plumage. Not so with this Turaco! Both the males and the females of the species are bright blue with yellow and red beaks.

Great Blue Turacos feed primarily on different types of fruit, but they occasionally munch on small invertebrates as well.

The species is currently listed as being of Least Concern due to their massive Sub-Saharan range.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Africa
Size : Length up to 30in (76cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Cuculiformes

Family : Musophagidae -- Genus : Corythaeola-- Species : C. cristata

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Blue Duiker

Philantomba monticola

The Blue Duiker is a small little antelope found in the rainforests of Central and Southern Africa. They are named for the slight blue tint to their coat, and are one of the smallest antelopes in the world!

Blue Duikers often live in with a mate and they patrol and guard their own little stretch of land. They are very territorial, and will frequently leave dung piles and scent marks to designate their area. They won't even tolerate their own offspring within the territory once they are older than 18 months! (Young Duikers are weaned at around 5 months, but will remain with their parents until reaching sexual maturity)

Blue Duikers are a very, very common species. In some parts of their range there may be as many as 78 per square kilometer! They have adapted well to human settlement, and are often hunted for meat, though their population remains stable.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : South and Central Africa
Size : Height up to 14in (35cm), Weight up to 9lbs (4kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Philantomba -- Species : P. monticola

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Lion's Mane Jellyfish

Cyanea capillata

Way back in 1870, a Lion's Mane Jellyfish washed ashore in Massachusetts Bay. Jellyfish wash up all the time, but this one was special... this one has a bell that was 7'6" in diameter and tentacles that were nearly 120 ft long! That means that the Lion's Mane Jellyfish might just be the longest animal alive!

The Lion's Mane Jellyfish doesn't always grow that large. In fact, most of the time their bell is only around a few feet wide, and those that live in the warmer waters max out around a foot and a half. Basically, the colder the water the larger they grow! The species is rarely found at latitudes lower than 42 degrees, and are nonexistent in the Southern Hemisphere.

All Lion's Manes, regardless of size, have tentacles that are clustered into eight segments. There are at least 65 tentacles per segment, though there can be as many as 150, and these tentacles can grow over 100ft long!

If you touch the tentacle of a Lion's Mane Jellyfish, you will probably get stung.. which results in blistering, irritation, and muscle cramps. Stings are not thought to be fatal to humans.

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IUCN Status : Not Evaluated
Location : High latitude oceans
Size : Bell Diameter up to 8.2ft (2.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Cnidaria -- Class : Scyphozoa -- Order : Semaeostomeae
Family : Cyaneidae -- Genus : Cyanea -- Species : C. capillata

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