Lesser Kudu

Male Lesser Kudu and Calf
at the San Diego Zoo

As you could probably guess, the Lesser Kudu is a smaller species of antelope when compared to the very large Greater Kudu. But like their larger relative, they too have striped bodies and large, spiraling horns that can grow up to 3ft long!

Lesser Kudu are most active during the nighttime hours, and they are relatively shy critters. When startled they give out a barking sound, and can bound away quickly if needed. They are very fast (unlike the slow Greater Kudu) and are also excellent jumpers. There have been reports of leaps as high as 2m!

Because of their shyness, Lesser Kudu are difficult to hunt, and so their population has remained relatively safe from hunting, though poaching does exist in some areas. Even more unfortunate is that the species was extremely susceptible to Rinderpest, a virus that spread across several ungulate species until the early 2000s. The population is currently rebounding, but is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : East Africa
Size : Shoulder height up to 43in (1.1m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Ammelaphus -- Species : A. imberbis

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African Openbill Stork

Anastomus lamelligerus at the San Diego Zoo

Meet yet another cool animal that I encountered on vacation... albeit one that has significantly less written about it.

This is the African Openbill Stork, a species that can be found throughout the wetlands of the Sub-Saharan Africa in resident populations.

Though the dude in my picture is playing with a dead mouse, these large birds most commonly feed on snails and various bivalves in the water. They have special beaks that let them sever the snail shell muscles to get to the meat. Other critters can take longer to kill.

African Openbill Storks live in colonies that are comprised of several dozen breeding pairs. These pairs are monogamous and share nest-building, incubating, and chick rearing duties.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Southern and Central Africa
Size : Length up to 3.2ft (1m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Ciconiiformes
Family : Ciconiidae -- Genus : Anastomus -- Species : A. lamelligerus

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Sumatran Tiger

So to carry on with my unofficial theme of "cool animals I saw in California Zoos" we come to the Sumatran Tiger. This subspecies is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and is the smallest of all the extant tigers. For a quick size comparison- the Siberian, or Amur Tiger, the largest of the subspecies, can weigh as much as 475lbs. The Sumatran only reaches around 260lbs.

Once upon a time there were two other subspecies that were closely related to the Sumatran Tiger- the Bali and Javan Tigers. Both went extinct during the 20th century, and the Sumatran Tiger could very well meet that same fate. They are listed as critically endangered, and there could be as few as 400 left in the wild.

It is now illegal to hunt the tigers, but poaching continues to be a major problem (hunting was the major contributor to the extinction of the other Indonesian subspecies). Tiger bones and other body parts are frequently found in countries that no longer have Tiger populations, as their is a high demand for those parts within traditional medicine. Unfortunately as the Tiger population drops, the supply cannot meet the demand and the black market prices grow higher and higher. This only continues to motivate poaching.

Thankfully there are a number of Sumatran Tigers in zoos worldwide, and captive breeding has proven sucessful in a number of locations. The Los Angeles Zoo, for example, had three cubs born this past fall (one has sadly passed away). Those cubs marked the third litter born at the zoo to mother "Lulu."

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : Sumatra, Indonesia
Size : Length up to 8ft (2.5m), Weight up to 260lbs (118kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae -- Genus : Panthera -- Species : P. tigris -- Subspecies : P. t. sumatrae

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Visayan Warty Pig

Visayan Warty Pig as the LA Zoo

One of my favorite things about going to new zoos is seeing incredible species that I never even new existed. One critter that I encountered at both the Los Angeles and San Diego zoos was the Visayan Warty Pig, one of the most endangered pigs int eh entire world.

The species was endemic to only six islands in the Philippines, and they are now extinct on four of those due to overhunting and habitat loss. When farming began to spread, the pigs were considered pests and were exterminated. Negros and Panay are now the only places were the Visayan Warty Pig can be found in the wild. Because they are so rare in the wild, and were only recognized as a species in the early 1990s, little is actually known about their behavior outside of captivity.

We do know that the species is social, and lives in small groups of around half a dozen members (sometimes more). The give birth during the dry season (January through March) and have an average of four piglets. They are herbivores that feed on fruits and roots.

Once the species was evaluated, emergency breeding programs were set up in a handful of zoos worldwide. Los Angeles, San Diego, St. Louis, and Oregon are some of the locations in the United States that are working to preserve this species that has lost 95% of its wild population.

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : Philippines
Size : Body Length up to 4ft (1.2m), Weight up to 88lbs (40kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Suidae -- Genus : Sus -- Species : S. cebifrons

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Cowboy Beetle

Chondropyga dorsalis

Meet Chondropyga dorsalis, often referred to as the Cowboy Beetle. They can be found in southwestern Australia, inhabiting mostly forested areas and residential gardens. They are not considered to be a pest, even though they can spend their entire lives in one backyard.

As larvae, the Cowboy Beetles feast on rotting things, like dead wood and compost. Their eggs are actually laid in the rotting logs so that when the larvae hatch they have something to eat right away. Then then use that same material to construct their pupae.

As adults, Cowboy Beetles have a taste for food that is a bit more palatable to us non-rotten-debris eaters. They feed on the nectar of various flower species, and they use their newly acquired wings to move from different shrubs and bushes.

Their gold and black coloration actually helps them to avoid predators. When in flight they resemble the far more dangerous Wasp!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Australia
Size : Length up to 1in (2.5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Scarabaeidae -- Genus : Chondropyga -- Species : C. dorsalis

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Antique Bison

Bison antiquus fossil at the Page Museum

Meet the ancestor of the modern North American Bison- the Antique or Ancient Bison. These huge herbivores were some of the most common mammals found on the continent during the end of the last Ice Age.

Antique Bison themselves most likely evolved from the Eurasian Steppe Bison that had crossed over to North America through the Bering Land Bridge. The species then spread across the entire continent, and could be found from Canada to Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, though they were most abundant in the American Southwest.

American Bison and Antique Bison share some differences. The Antique Bison had a larger body size overall, and was about 1/3 larger than its descendant. They also had much large shoulder humps, and longer horns.

Antique Bison went extinct around 10,000 years ago. The spread of the modern Bison most like contributed to their decline. Fossils have been found at numerous sites, sometimes with as many as 200 individuals at one location. This suggests that they were hunted in large numbers, which may have also been a cause of their extinction.

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Status : Extinct for 10,000 years
Location : North America
Size : Shoulder height 7ft (2.1m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Bison -- Species : B. antiquus

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Wampoo Fruit Dove

While trekking through the Aviaries of the San Diego Zoo I came across several species of brightly colored Dove, including many beautiful examples of today's animal, the Wampoo Fruit Dove. (The name comes from the call that they make!)

These birds are the largest Fruit Doves found in New Guinea and Australia, and they measure up to 18in in length. Both males and females sport green and purple plumage, while juveniles are more dull in color.

As you may have already guessed, Wampoo Fruit Doves feed on fruit. They aren't especially picky either; they feed on whichever fruits are available in their geographic area at that time of the year. The Doves can even swallow large fruits whole! They live in flocks that rarely travel far from a specific range.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Australia and New Guinea
Size : Body length up to 18in (45cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Columbiformes
Family : Columbidae -- Genus : Ptilinopus -- Species : P. magnificus

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