Ringed Water Cobra

Naja annulata

There are two species of Water Cobra in the world, and today's animal is one of them (the other being the Congo water Cobra). They are a largely aquatic species (hence the name) and are rarely seen by humans, as they are active during both the night and daytime, and are non-confrontational.

Ringed Water Cobras live in eastern and central Africa, and are seldom found far from bodies of water. They are slow movers on land, but excellent when hunting in rivers and lakes. These snakes feed almost exclusively on fish, but will also take amphibians as well.

As with all Cobras, the Ringed Water Cobra has a venomous bite. However, because they are not often encountered, their venom has not been as well studied as that of some other species. Also like other cobras, they sport hoods that fan out when threatened... though these hoods are rather narrow. They can be identified by the contrasting brown and black bands that run the length of their body.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : East and Central Africa
Size : SLength up to 9ft (2.8m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Elapidae -- Genus : Naja -- Species : N. annulata

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Marsh Owl

Asio capensis

Marsh Owls live in Madagascar and throughout Central and Southern Africa. Their primary habitats are (unsurprisingly) wetlands, marshes, and savanna areas.

These owls actually build their nests on the ground, hiding then without dense tufts of grass. There they lay up to three eggs each season, which are incubated by the mother. The hatchlings fledge after 35 days.

Because there are few perches in their habitats, these Owls hunt by soaring high above the plains and wetlands, spotting out they prey with their keen eyesight. Once targeted, they swoop in to retrieve their meal.

Overall, the Marsh Owls are listed as being of least concern. They have a very large range, and even though they are dropping number in a handful of local areas, there are still enough of them to be at low risk.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Africa and Madagascar
Size : Length up to 14in (37cm), Wingspan up to 40in (1m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae -- Genus : Asio -- Species : A. capensis

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Nile Lechwe

Kobus megaceros

Lechwe is the Bantu word for Antelope, which is what today's animal happens to be. These Endangered ungulates hail from only a few locations in East Africa.They are actually considered to be sacred creatures by some peoples in Sudan. Their primary habitats are marsh and swampland areas.

The Nile Lechwe are very social creatures. They create many different vocalizations, including calls to identifies mothers and children, calls to signify threats, and calls that are used during the breeding season.

Males and females actually look quite different, and not just in size. Though they are all born the same color, the males grow a very dark chocolate brown as they mature, along with growing horns. Females lack horns, and stay a creamier light brown color.

Sadly, habitat loss and hunting have decreased the overall population, and they are now listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Conservation measures are difficult to maintain, due to all of the political turmoil in teh surrounding region.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : East Africa
Size : Shoulder Height up to 41in (105cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Kobus -- Species : K. megaceros

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Smooth Butterfly Ray

Gymnura micrura

The Smooth Butterfly Ray, with its sleek body (thanks to very tiny denticles), actually has a genus name to match-- Gymnura derives from the Greek word for "naked." They are medium-sized rays, with males growing about four feet across and females reaching around 2.5.

These Rays live in the Atlantic Ocean, typically in tropical waters though they can be found as far north as Maryland. They live on the soft sediment bottoms of the continental shelves, feeding on small fish, crustaceans, and bivalves. On occasion they will swim into estuaries and brackish waters.

The species is Ovoviviparous, a term I do not get to use nearly enough. This means that they give birth to live young, but these young are still incubated in eggs... just inside the mothers body (aka there is no direct placental connection between mother and child). They have 3-4 pups per litter.

Smooth Butterfly Rays and humans don't have much interaction with one another. They aren't fished on any large commercial scale, and are only consumed in a handful of countries. They are not dangerous, as they don't posses spines. Currently they are listed as being Data Deficient.

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient
Location : Atlantic Ocean
Size : Width up to 4ft (1.2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Chondrichthyes -- Order : Myliobatiformes
Family : Gymnuridae -- Genus : Gymnura -- Species : G. micrura

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Mountain Zebra

Equus zebra

There are three living species of Zebra out there, the Plains, the Grevy's, and today's animal-- the Mountain. Mountain Zebras are found only in southwestern Africa, residing in hills, and mountain slopes. They live at dry altitudes of up to 3,300ft, and are more surefooted and adapted to climbing than their plains-living relatives. You can identify them from other Zebras by the dewlaps in their throats.

Mountain Zebras live in small groups that are led by a stallion and contain a handful of mares and young offspring. Once colts grow up they leave and join temporary bachelor herds before trying to steal a few females of their own to start a new family group. Mountain Zebras do not form large herds like the Plains Zebras often do.

Equus zebra has two different subspecies that are now regionally separated (and were once thought to be two totally different species). The Cape Mountain Zebra lives in the southern reaches of the range and actually has females that grow larger than the males. In addition, their black stripes are slightly thicker. The Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, which lives further north, has thinner black stripes and exhibits a more standard variety of sexual dimorphism-- males larger than females.

Both of the subspecies are threatened, and are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Habitat loss and competition from livestock have played major roles in the decline, and they were once hunted so extensively that less than 100 Cape Mountain Zebras remained in the 1950s. Today that number is around 2,500, and many members of the wild population live within protected areas. Captive breeding programs are  also working to reintroduce the animals to their former ranges.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : Southwest Africa
Size : Shoulder height up to 4.9ft (1.5m), Weight up to 800lbs (360kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Perissodactyla
Family : Equidae -- Genus : Equus -- Species : E. zebra

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Agassiz's Desert Tortoise

Gopherus agassizii

Today's animal gets its name from 19th century Swiss-American naturalist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, and it can be found in the desert areas of the Southwest United States (they are even the state reptiles of both California and Nevada). They can actually live in incredibly hot areas that reach over 140 degrees F, due to their ability to burrow underground to escape the extreme heat.

Agassiz's Desert Tortoises measure about 14in long, and males are slightly larger than females. Interestingly,t he two sexes also have slightly different shell shapes. Males have inward curved at the rear of the carapace, while females have outward curves. This is so that the males can stand upright against the female in order to successfully mate. Males will also fight each other during each breeding season in order to establish reproductive rights, and the Tortoises will have numerous different mates over their 30 to 50 years of life.

Sadly, these Tortoises are listed as Vulnerable (partially) because of decline caused by human activities. Military, agricultural, and urban development have all caused a loss in habitat. Development has not just taken up their habitat, but it has introduced excess predators. Ravens are major predators of Desert Tortoise eggs and hatchlings, and there are more of these birds around due to human land development.

There area number of illnesses that have also affected these Tortoises. Upper respiratory tract disease has been plaguing the population since the 1970s, and  is a chronic, infectious condition. Furthermore, a shell disease called Cutaneous dyskeratosis is also found in the population.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : Southwest United States
Size : Length up to 14in (36cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Sauropsida -- Order : Testudines
Family : Testudinidae -- Genus : Gopherus -- Species : G. agassizii

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Elkhorn Coral

Acropora palmata

Elkhorn Coral is a very large, very fast growing Coral that can be found in the Caribbean waters, at depths of up to 30m. because of their fast growth they make wonderful reef builders, and have massive branches that can grow well over 6ft a piece. These branches resemble antlers, hence the name.

Elkhorn Coral reproduce asexually. Branches of it break off and form new colonies after the reattach in the substrate. They reproduce sexually as well, spawning millions of gametes into the water column once a year. The resulting larvae (if they live long enough) can then form new colonies. Sexual reproduction exists int he species so that there is genetic diversity. However, so few larvae survive that is expected that the diversity is actually very low at this point, with most new Coral colonies created asexually.

Like many of the animals we have been talking about in the past few days, Elkhorn Coral is also dangerously close to extinction. In some locations they have declined by 80-90% since 1980. This is due to disease, bleaching, natural disasters, changes in water quality, and the aforementioned low genetic diversity. The population is being managed, and restoration efforts are taking place... though with mixed results.

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : Caribbean Sea
Size : Diameter up to 12ft (3.7m)

Classification : Phylum : Cnidaria -- Class : Anthozoa -- Order : Scleractinia
Family : Acroporidae -- Genus : Acropora -- Species : A. palmata

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