Tylosaurus

There are six identified species within the Tylosaurus genus, but T. proriger was the largest. In fact, it's the largest of all the Mosasaurs, and one of the largest marine predators of the Cretaceous period.

These massive sea creatures could grow up to 50ft in length, and sported two rows of teeth in their monstrous jaws. They had incredibly strong tails that allowed them to hunt their prey by ambushing them with sudden bursts of speed. Once caught, the prey was often swallowed whole!

Tylosaurus ate just about everything. Fish, birds, sharks, and other marine reptiles have all been found in their stomachs. Their fossils have been found in Kansas, which was actually completely covered by an ocean 65 million years ago. And though Tylosaurus itself wasn't an actual Dinosaur, they did go extinct at about the same time, around 65 million years ago.

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Status : Extinct for 65 million years
Location : North America
Size : Length up to 50ft (15m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata 
Family : Mosasauridae -- Genus : Tylosaurus -- Species : T. proriger
Image : Ryan Somma, Public Domain

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17 Year Cicada

Magicicada septendecim

There are a handful of Cicacads known as "periodicals," and the 17 Year is the largest and most northern living of the group.

These insects get their name from their long and unusual life cycle. For seventeen years you will never see them. The entire population will live underground as Juveniles, and then all at once they emerge as adults to breed and start the cycle over. And interestingly, though they live nearly two decades as juveniles, their adult life lasts only a few weeks-- just long enough to breed and lay eggs.

The timing of the cycle depends on the specific population. For example, one brood near by home state appeared way back in 2002, while another was more recent in 2007. One of the New England broods is even scheduled for 2013. People in North America have been tracking these Cicadas since 1715!

Unfortunately, their long reproductive cycle puts them in conservation trouble. If something were to happen to a brood it could be totally disastrous. For this reason they are listed as Near Threatened.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : North America
Size : Length up to 1.5in (4cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Hemiptera
Family : Cicadidae -- Genus : Magicicada-- Species : M. septendecim
Image : Martin Hauser

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Palm-nut Vulture

Meet the Palm-nut Vulture, an interesting creature that is both like its Vulture relatives, and quite different at the same time!

There aren't many Birds-of-Prey that consume vegetation on a regular basis, but the Palm-nut Vulture does! More than half of their adult diet consists of palm leaves and fruits, and as juveniles it is almost the entire thing! The remain adult diet is make up of fish and invertebrates, though they are also rarely found at the large animal carcasses that other Vultures are known to scavenge at.

Palm-nut Vultures can be found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, and are identified by their white feathered heads and shoulders, black wings, and red skin patches around the eyes and beak.

As with many Birds-of-Prey, the Palm-nut Vultures are monogamous, and each breeding pair will raise a single chick together during the breeding season.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Sub-Saharan Africa
Size : Length up to 2ft (60cm), Wingspan up to 60in (1.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Falconiformes
Family : Accipitridae -- Genus : Gypohierax -- Species : G. angolensis
Image : DickDaniels

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Angler

Lophius piscatorius

So today's animal goes by many names -- the Angler, the Sea-devil, the Frog-fish. All of these monikers refer to Lophius piscatorius, a deep sea fish native to the north Atlantic and Mediterranean.

The Angler has a very large head, but a flat body that is absent of scales. As with most Anglerfish species, the females are much much larger than the males-- they can grow over 6ft long, while the males will only grow to a few inches.

These fish live on the sea floor, hiding out near the very bottom and attracting smaller fish to them using a lure. When the prey gets close they suck them in whole. Amazingly, the Angler has a very expandable stomach-- they can consume fish that are nearly as large as they are!

Despite their ugly appearance, Anglers are commercially fished. However, they are listed on the Greenpeace Red List. This is because the trawling method used to fish them up is very damaging to the sea floor. Additionally, these fish have very long lives and mature slowly. Taking large numbers of them is detrimental, as it cane take a very long time for the population to naturally rebound.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Atlantic and Mediterranean
Size : Females up to 6.6ft (2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii  -- Order : Lophiiformes
Family : Lophiidae -- Genus : Lophius-- Species : L. piscatorius
Image : Meocrisis

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Dusicyon

Dusicyon australis

We've read here many times about all of the different island bird species that went extinct after modern humans settled in their homelands. But did you know that many mammals were affected as well? The Dusicyon, also known as the Warrah, is one of those mammals.

Dusicyon australis was at one point the only mammal species on the Falkland Islands. These dogs fed on the birds that lived there, and there is some controversy on how they managed to be the only mammals on the islands. They may have reached the islands several thousand years ago along with the first human inhabitants, but they may have also crossed over during the last Ice Age when freezing way have created an ice bridge. Either way, they are are distinct from any other living canine-- their closest living relatives are the Maned Wolves, but they diverged some 6 million years ago!

Also known as the Falkland Islands Wolf, these small canines were described by Charles Darwin in 1833. He predicted their extinction, as they were poisoned to keep sheep safe, hunted for their fur, and had little innate fear of man, making them easy to capture and kill (a problem also had by the Dodo). By 1876 Darwin was proven right, as that was the year that last known Dusicyon died. A few were taken for captivity, but none lasted long, and only a few specimens can be found in museums today.

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Status : Extinct since 1876
Location : Falkland Islands
Size : Body Length up to 3ft (.9m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : †Dusicyon  -- Species : †D. australis
Image : George R. Waterhouse

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Siberian Blue Robin

The Siberian Blue Robins (unsurprisingly) live in Siberia... though they call other east and southeast Asian locations home as well, including islands in Japan and Indonesia. They are found in forested areas and tend to breed near rivers or woodland edges.

These birds are very blue. Well... at least the males are. In their breeding plumage they have bright white undersides and shiny blue feathers. Females are a drab brown with lighter undersides, which helps to camouflage them while nesting.

Siberian Blue Robins have a very large range and a population size in the hundreds of thousands, but their numbers are on the decline due to fragmentation and habitat destruction. They are currently listed at Least Concern, though as with many species, that could change in the coming years if their habitats continue to disappear.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Eastern Asia
Size : Body Length up to 6in (14cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Muscicapidae -- Genus : Luscinia-- Species : L. cyane
Image : Wikimedia Commons

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Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise

Male members of the Bird-of-paradise family are known for having strange plumage and delightful courtship displays. Today's bird is no exception.

Found in New Guinea and Indonesia, the Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise is a sexually dimorphic species where the female is a reddish brown with dark bars, and where the male possesses some goofy feathers in which to attract a mate.

Males have dark feathers on the back and chest, complete with green tips. Their tail plumage is bright yellow and fluffy, and has a dozen thin, wire-like feathers that curl outward from it (giving the species its common name).

When the breeding season rolls around, the male wants to attract as many ladies as possible. He finds a perch, and from there will poke at prospective mates. He'll show them his bright feathers, and will hop from foot to foot while swiping the females with his wire-feathers. If the female is impressed, they mate, and she goes off to build her nest and incubate her chicks alone. Breeding season can last half a year or longer, depending on the location, so the males have a lot of dancing to do!

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : New Guinea, Indonesia
Size : Body Length up to 13in (33cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Paradisaeidae -- Genus : Seleucidis-- Species : S. melanoleucus
Image : Peter Tan

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