Common Seahorse

Meet the Common Seahorse, a fish that has a range extending throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, even with a range that size these Seahorses are in trouble. Their population is on the decline due to habitat degradation and high levels of overfishing. They are one of the most popular Seahorses used for traditional medicines, and are captured in high amounts. As a result, the Common Seahorse is becoming rather uncommon, and they are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

In the wild, the Common Seahorse lives at relatively shallow depths, often attaching their tails to coral or seaweed in order to keep to one place. They are also popular in aquariums, and many are now being captive bred to keep the wild populations sustainable.

Common Seahorses have a really interesting reproductive process. After courting, the mail and female move very close together so that the female can lay her eggs in the male's brood pouch. After all the eggs have been deposited the female leaves and it is all up to dad to incubate their offspring. After about a month it is time for the young Seahorses to hatch, and the father wiggles back and forth to get his young children out into the world. What an interesting process!

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : Indian and Pacific Oceans
Size : Length up to 14cm
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Syngnathiformes
Family : Syngnathidae -- Genus : Hippocampus-- Species : H. kuda
Image : Nhobgood

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Texas Longhorn

The Texas Longhorn is a cattle breed known for its impressively large horns-- some bulls have spreads of close to 7ft!

Texas Longhorn

The origins of the breed actually date back to Christopher Columbus. Early trips to "the New World" introduced Spanish Cattle to the continent. Many of these Cattle turned feral in Texas and other eventual southern states for a few hundred years, and were re-domesticated in the early 19th century. Those cattle were interbred with English stock from the East Coast, and the Texas Longhorn breed was born.

Thanks to the mixed Spanish and English ancestry, the Texas Longhorn comes in many, many different color varieties. You'll find them in grey, brown, red, black, and white. Some are solidly colored, others have patches, while others have speckles. Quite the color palette! They also range in size, and can weigh anywhere from 700 to 1500lbs!

Texas Longhorns are primarily bred for their meat, though they are occasionally used for dairy purposes as well.

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Status : Domesticated
Location : North America
Size : Varies, maximum weight around 1,500lbs (680kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Bos-- Species : B. primigenius
Image : Tomballpi, Myrna Spurrier

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Pygmy Mouse Lemur

Microcebus myoxinus

Amazingly, at only 5in long and a weight of less than 2oz, the Pygmy Mouse Lemur is NOT the smallest Lemur. Nope, just number two! (The true honor goes to Madame Berthe's Lemur). But hey, second place isn't bad!

The Pygmy Mouse Lemur (as with all Lemurs) lives in Madagascar. They have been found in only two small localized areas, and they actually remained almost completely unseen for close to a century due to their tiny size and nocturnal nature.

The two areas that the Pygmy Mouse Lemurs have been found in contain dry forests. They feed mostly on fruits, but will also consume insects and flowers as well. They themselves are preyed upon by several predators, including Eagles who are able to spot the Lemurs in their daytime nests while they sleep.

We don't have an exact conservation listing for the Pygmy Mouse Lemurs because they are so tough to locate and study. They have been listed as Endangered in the past but the truth is that we just don't know enough-- hence the Data Deficient tag.

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient
Location : Madagascar
Size : Body Length up to 5in (13cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Cheirogaleidae -- Genus : Microcebus-- Species : M. myoxinus
Image : Bikeadventure

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Limax maximus

Limax maximus

Meet Limax maximus, also known as the Leopard Slug. These Gastropods are some of the largets Slugs int he world, and can grow up to 8in long.

It is pretty easy to see where these Slugs got their feline-inspired common name. They have brown bodies that are covered with darker, leopard-like spots. There are actually several different color types, ranging from very pale, to red, to dark, but all have the spots.

Limax maximus originally hailed from Europe and possibly western Africa. However, they have spread very far from home and are now common in North America, South America, and even New Zealand.

You'll find these slugs near humans-- they like to eat trash and other decaying matter, and they normally feed at night. Unfortunately, they also like to feast on young living plants as well, which is why they are considered an invasive pest in the United States, where they feed on crops.

Like all slugs, Limax maximus individuals are hermaphrodites. When they mate, two slugs will circle each other (sometimes for hours and hours) and then eventually climb a tree. The pair will then dangle from the tree by a thick strand a mucus, and it is then that they trade sperm with each other. Each slug will then go on to lay its own eggs.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe
Size : Body Length up to 8in (20cm)
Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda -- Superfamily : Limacoidea
Family : Limacidae -- Genus : Limax-- Species : L. maximus
Image : max0rz

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Caribbean Roughshark

Oxynotus caribbaeus

The Caribbean Roughshark is a small species of shark that grows to a maximum length of about 1.5ft. Proof that not all sharks are gigantic terrifying man-eaters for
sure!

Caribbean Roughsharks hail from the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, and they tend to live at depths of between 1400 and 1600 feet-- so no where near the surface! They have blunt noses, two dorsal fins, and no anal fin. They also have really unusual coloration-- darker grey or brown over most of their body, but light grey on the fins and head, with dark blotches.

Because they live at those depths, they aren't studied a whole lot. We do know that they are slow moving predators, and they feed on small invertebrates and fish.

These Sharks are most commonly seen when they get caught up in fighting nets. They show up occasionally as bycatch for bottom trawls.

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient
Location : Caribbean
Size : Body Length up to 20in (50cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Chondrichthyes -- Order : Squaliformes
Family : Oxynotidae -- Genus : Oxynotus -- Species : O. caribbaeus
Image : http://perso.wanadoo.es/escualostk/clas_escuali.htm

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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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