Great Barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

The Great, or Giant, Barracuda is a very slender fish that can grow to lengths of 6ft (though the average is around 3.5). They swim in the warm, tropical and subtropical ocean waters of the world, typically living near shore but sometimes also venturing to the open ocean.

The species can be identified by their long torpedo-like bodies, their large eyes, and their doubled-notched tail fin. Their upper scales range from grey, to green, to blue, and their undersides are more pale. Sometimes they have dark spots on their sides as well.

Great Barracudas are solitary swimmers, a lifestyle that works well for their preferred method of hunting. They lie and wait, and then ambush their prey with bursts of incredible speed. For short distances this predator can move up to 36mph (58kph). They feed on all sorts of fish species, and can bite larger fish in half with ease, thanks to their large mouths.

Barracudas can be dangerous to humans, but attacks are rare and usually a misunderstanding on the part of the fish. They sometimes mistake shiny objects (like parts on a diver suit) for other fish, and erroneously attack. There have only been a handful of reported deaths.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Tropical and Subtropical Oceans
Size : Length up to 6ft (1.8m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Perciformes
Family : Sphyraenidae -- Genus : Sphyraena -- Species : S. barracuda

Read More

Lesula

Cercopithecus lomamiensis

I love writing about newly discovered animals, and this one is so new that it was just introduced yesterday! Meet Cercopithecus lomamiensis, locally referred to as the Lesula.

The Lesula avoided detection for so long because their native range is in very remote forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was only noticed because a man found a young one on a hunting trip, and brought it back to his 13-year-old niece, Georgette. Congo researcher John Hart noticed the beautiful monkey in Georgette's village in 2007, and spent the next five years trying to figure out what it was.

This new species is very striking. They have bright golden manes, red patches on their backs, and the males have bright aquamarine backsides (which allow the lady monkeys to find them in the thick vegetation-- bright blue really stands out!). They live in groups of up to five individuals, and feed on fruits and leaves.

The Lesula is one of the many monkey species that faces danger from local hunting. The meat is cheap, and in some places, very easy to obtain. Hart is currently trying to set up a preserve to keep this brand new species protected, as they are probably threatened enough to be listed as Vulnerable. Sadly, the monkey that started it all, was probably taken for food by one of Georgette's fellow villagers.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed (Probably Vulnerable)
Location : Democratic Republic of Congo
Size :  Weight up to 15lbs (7kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Cercopithecidae -- Genus : Cercopithecus -- Species : C. lomamiensis

Read More

Grizzled Giant Squirrel

Ratufa macroura

The Grizzled Giant Squirrel is a threatened species that is found in only a few spots of India and Sri Lanka. There are three different subspecies, and as a whole they are the smallest of the Indian Giant Squirrels.

Grizzled Giant Squirrels are named for the white flecks of hair that cover their greyish-brown bodies, giving them a grizzled look. They also have very long tails that can constitute over half their total body length, and small round ears with tufts.

Though there are Squirrels that live on the ground (I'm looking at you Marmots), this particular species lives just about exclusively in the trees. Their long tails make them great jumpers, and they can leap as far as 6m between trees! Grizzled Giant Squirrels are very territorial, and usually live alone or in pairs. They forage during the daytime, searching for fruits, nuts, insects, and even bird eggs. Pairs produce one little a year, number 1-2 offpsring.

Unfortunately, the Grizzled Giant Squirrels is listed as Near Threatened. They are hunted by humans for meat and fur, and habitat degradation has made them either lose their homes entirely, or live in thinned out forests where they are easier to spot by avian predators. They are protected in a few places, most notably the Shenbagathope Grizzled Squirrel Sanctuary in Southern India.

---

IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : India, Sri Lanka
Size :  Total length up to 35in (90cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Rodentia
Family : Sciuridae -- Genus : Ratufa -- Species : R. macroura

Read More

King Eider

Somateria spectabilis (male)

Take a look at the male King Eider in its breeding plumage. What a gorgeous duck! Their blue, yellow, and green face, contrasted with the stark white chest and black body, makes for a truly spectacular looking bird.

Of course, they don't look as brilliant all year-- outside of the June and July breeding season the colors dull significantly.

And of course, like many other ducks, the females are significantly less dramatic looking-- their feathers are reddish brown, barred with black and white. But those brown barred colors certainly help around breeding time, as the females are left alone to incubate their eggs. They nest on the ground and press their bodies low to stay hidden. They rarely even get up to feed during that three week incubation period!

King Eiders are highly gregarious birds, and can form flocks that number into the tens of thousands. They breed on the tundras of the Northern Hemisphere, and spend their summers on the Arctic and Sub-Arctic coasts, never travelling much further south than Scotland or New England. They feed on aquatic plants and animals, and can even dive down over 80ft to forage!

---

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Northern Hemisphere
Size :  Length up to 24in (61cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Anseriformes
Family : Anatidae -- Genus : Somateria -- Species : S. spectabilis

Read More

Common Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs (male)

The Common Chaffinch is a bird with a very large distribution. They can be found throughout Europe, large patches of western Asia, and north Africa and the Middle East. They have also been introduced to Australia and New Zealand, and are occasionally found in southeast Asia and even in the United States. There are many different location-based subspecies.

The males of the species are easy to identify-- they have white barred wings, a red chest, and a bright blue cap. Females are less colorful, and sport hints of green. Their name comes from "Chaff Finch," because they are fond of pecking out different grains to eat.

Most of the Common Chaffinches live in resident populations. Only those that live in colder regions will migrate to warmer climates during the winter. Migrating flocks can sometimes become quite large, though most of the time the birds live in very small groups or in pairs.

Breeding time brings about courtships displays from the males. After mating, the males leaves and the female nests in a tree fork. She will lay up to four eggs which take only two weeks to incubate and another two weeks for the chicks to fledge. Interestingly, the young Chaffinches are fed insects rather than seeds, though seeds will be their primary food source as adults.

---

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Europe, parts of Africa and Asia
Size :  Length up to 6in (16cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Fringillidae -- Genus : Fringilla -- Species : F. coelebs

Read More

Parictis

Meet the Parictis genus. The eight species found within it are the oldest known bears in the world, dating back between 38 and 33 million years.

Polar bears have skulls 6 times longer
than those of their Parictis ancestors!

These ancient bears first appeared in North America around 38 million years ago, during the Late Eocene. By the time the early Miocene rolled around a few million years later, different species had spread to Europe and Africa, with some presence in Asia as well.

Parictis bears were very small, like the size of small dogs. They had skulls that measured only a few inches long! There is still a whole lot to learn about these ancestors to the giant bears of today, as the only fossils found have been very fragmentary. (I couldn't even find a photo or reconstruction image!) Even still, it's always amazing to think about how much things have changed over time-- from a 3in skull to one nearly a foot and a half long!

---

Status : Extinct for around 33 million years
Location : North America, Europe, Africa
Size :  Skull size around 3in (8cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Parictis

Read More

Two-toed Amphiuma

Amphiuma means

The Two-toed Amphiuma is actually one of the longest Salamanders in the world, and the longest in the United States, capable of reaching lengths of 3-4ft! You can find these long, eel-like Amphibians in the slow moving, often stagnant waters of the southeastern parts of the country. Though they are sometimes referred to as "Conger Eels" or "Congo Snakes," they are still Amphibians.

The species gets its common name from their odd little feet. They have four tiny little vestigial legs, each one ending in two toes. These legs are pretty much useless, which is good, cause they don't particularly need them for anything. Two-toed Amphiumas are almost exclusively aquatic.

Their underwater lifestyle explains their tiny legs, their long bodies, lidded eyes (as juveniles), and their incredibly slippy skin. Curiously though, they have no external gills as adults, and they posses fully formed lungs!

If you see one of these interesting Amphibians, leave it alone! Though not venomous, they have really nasty bites if handled incorrectly.

---

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Southeast United States
Size :  Length up to 4ft (1.2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Amphibia -- Order : Caudata
Family : Amphiumidae -- Genus : Amphiuma -- Species : A. means

Read More