Sun Parakeet

Aratinga solstitialis

Sun Parakeets, also known as Sun Conures, are popular birds in the pet trade, but are actually Endangered in the wild. In fact, capture for aviculture is one of the threats against the wild population.

Wild Sun Parakeets are found in northeast South America, and have only a very small range that extends through parts of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil. They live in small groups of no more than 20-30 individuals, and they feed on fruits and nuts.

Sun Parakeets have very beautiful coloration-- one of the reasons why they are popular pets. Their feathers are predominantly yellow, but with bursts of red and orange. Wings and tails are blue and green, making the bird quite a rainbow of colors!

As stated earlier, unsustainable trapping led to a drastic decline in these birds. Though many of the captive birds are now captive bred, trapping still continues and more effective measures must be put into place to keep the wild populations stable.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : South America
Size : Body Length up to ft (30cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Psittaciformes
Family : Psittacidae -- Genus : Aratinga -- Species : A. solstitialis
Image : Public Domain

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Dyeing Dart Frog

Dendrobates tinctorius

Meet one of the largest species of Dart Frog, the Dyeing Dart. These guys can grow 2in long, which is pretty big for a member of their family.

Dyeing Darts come in many, many colors. Yellow is depicted in this entry, but you'll also see them in blues and greens as well.

In the wild, these Frogs are found in the rainforests of South America. Like all members of the Dart Frog group, they are toxic... though only mildly so. They secrete toxins through their skin which cause pain and stiffness, and the strength of the toxin can depend on the specific color morph.

One really bizarre fact is that members of indigenous tribes will capture young parrots and rub there frogs on the parrot's skin. When feather grow at that point they will be a different color than feathers elsewhere!

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : South America
Size : Body Length up to 2in (6cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Amphibia -- Order : Anura
Family : Dendrobatidae -- Genus : Dendrobates -- Species : D. tinctorius
Image : Olei

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Giant Armadillo

Priodontes maximus

Meet the largest member of the Armadillo family, the appropriately named Giant Armadillo. These odd looking animals cab grow over 3ft long (not including the tail) and weigh over 70lbs-- some have even tipped the scales at over 100! You'll find these solitary, nocturnal mammals in South America.

Like all Armadillos, the Giant has a really strange body. They have a layer of bony plates underneath their skin, and the number of hinged bands ranges from 11 to 13 depending on the individual. Because of their massive size they are unable to roll up into a ball. Instead, they have to burrow to escape predators.

To dig those burrows the Giant Armadillos use their massive front claws. Those same claws also help them to rip apart termite mounds. Termites are their primary prey, but they will eat other insects and invertebrates as well. Speaking of eating, did you know that an adult Giant Armadillo can have as many as 100 teeth? That is more teeth than any other mammal!

Unfortunately there isn't much else to say about the Giant Armadillos. They haven't been extensively studied, and we know almost nothing about their reproductive habits. They are listed as Vulnerable because of deforestation and hunting.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : South America
Size : Body Length up to 3.3ft (1m), Weight up to 70lbs (32kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Cingulata
Family : Dasypodidae -- Genus : Priodontes -- Species : P. maximus
Image : Diertje Van de Dag

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Charonosaurus

Charonosaurus is one many different Hadrosaur, or "Duck-Billed" species. It was discovered relatively recently, with the first fossils uncovered in 2000.

Charonosaurus is named for Charon of Greek Myth, the ferryman who carried souls across the river Styx. The Fossils were found on the banks of a river, inspiring the name. They lived between 67 and 65 million years ago, going extinct during the event at the end of the Cretaceous.

Only a few bones have been found of this Dinosaur-- most notably a partial skull. Though we don't have a full skeleton, we can use ratios found in relative Hardosaurs and determine Charonosaurus's size. They were one of the largest members of their family, and could grow as long as 33, possibly 40 feet!

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Status : Extinct, Lived 67-65 million years ago
Location : China and Russia
Size : Length up to 33ft (10m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Clade : Dinosauria -- Order : †Ornithischia
Family : †Hadrosauridae -- Genus : †Charonosaurus -- Species : † C. jiayinensis
Image : Carnivora Forum

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Pacific Cleaner Shrimp

Lysmata amboinensis

The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp is a Crustacean of many, many names. Their list of alias includes the Skunk, Scarlet, and Northern Cleaner Shrimp (because of their location and identification).

The "Cleaner" part comes from the fact that these small, 2in long Shrimp feed on dead tissue, debris, and parasites of much larger aquatic species. In fact, larger fish are known to seek out the reefs that the Pacific Cleaner Shrimp live on, just so the shrimp can help to  get rid of trobulesome parasites! They will even go inside of a fishes' mouth!

Pacific Cleaner Shrimp are found in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They live relatively close to the surface, hanging out in the coral reefs.

Amazingly, every single Pacific Cleaner Shrimp is born male. As they age they go through metamorphosis and molt, and eventually becoming hermaphrodites.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Tropical Indo-Pacific Waters
Size : Length up to 2in (6cm)
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Malacostraca -- Order : Decapoda
Family : Hippolytidae -- Genus : Lysmata-- Species : L. amboinensis
Image : Chris Moody

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Major Mitchell's Cockatoo

Today's animal is the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, a bird that calls the arid and semi-arid reaches of the Australian Outback home. They are given their common name in honor of Major Sir Thomas Mitchell, a Scottish surveyor and explorer who did a great deal of work in Australia.

When it comes to their scientific name, there is some debate over what genus the species belongs in. Some give it its very own, Lophochroa, while others place it with the Sulfur-crested Cockatoo and others over in Cacatua. The issue rages on!

Major Mitchell's Cockatoos can be identified by their bright pink crest feather (when erect) and their light pink coloring overall. Males and females can be told apart by their coloration-- females have red eyes and a thick yellow band on the crest feathers.

Major Mitchell's Cockatoos live a nomadic lifestyle, travelling where they need to in order to obtain food and suitable breeding conditions. They follow the rains (what little there is). At about five or six years of age they reach sexual maturity and find a mate-- they will stay together for life and raise offspring together. These Cockatoos do not form flocks like other members of their family, in part due to the scarcity of food and nesting sites. It is easier for two birds to find a nest in the Outback than it would be for dozens of them.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Australia
Size : Length up to 14in (36cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Psittaciformes
Family : Cacatuidae -- Genus : Lophochroa -- Species : L. leadbeateri
Image : Christopher Watson

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Black Wallaroo

Macropus bernardus

The Black Wallaroo is the smallest of the Wallaroo species, and one of the smallest Kangaroo family members overal. They grow to a maximum height of only 1m, and weigh less than 50lbs.

They are also the Wallaroo with the most limited range-- these Marsupials are found only in a tiny part of Australia's Northern Territory. In that small range though, they live in an assortment of habitats. These include both dense forests and open grasslands.

The name of the species is a little misleading. You see, only male Black Wallaroos are actually black. The females are a brownish-grey. Males and females live solitary lives most of the time, and only come together to breed. Breeding season does run year round, and females can actually support two joeys of different ages at a single time. Her actual gestation period is only about a month, and the newborns are just a few centimeters long. It will take six months for them to emerge from mom's pouch.

Black Wallaroos are listed as Near Threatened because of their tiny range. It is important to protect their small habitat, or else they could be in some serious trouble.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : Australia
Size : Height up to 3.3ft (1m) ,Weight up to 50lbs (22kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Diprotodontia -- Family : Macropodidae -- Genus : Macropus -- Species : M. bernardus
Image : TrekNature

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