European Jaguar

Panthera gombaszoegensis

The modern big cats are spread all over the world, but then to have very distinct ranges. Tigers in Asia. Cheetahs in Africa. Jaguars in South America. But in the past this was not the case. Lions lived in Europe and Asia. There was a strange Cheetah-like cat in North America, and today we'll learn that there were Jaguars in Europe.

The European Jaguar lived about 1.5 million years ago, and its fossils have been found throughout central and western Europe. These cats were larger than their cousins who now live halfway around the world, reaching nearly 450lbs in size. They were probably solitary creatures, and their size allowed them to take down large prey.

European Jaguars were so similar to the big cats of today that they belong to the very same genus (Panthera). There are even some who think they might be a subspecies of modern Jaguars!

So if there were Jaguars in Italy, how the heck did they all end up in South America 1.5 million years later? Well, there were also Jaguars in Asia. And those Asian Jaguars spread about a few million years ago. Some eventually made their way into the America, while others moved west to Europe. Eventually the European and Asian lines died out (possibly due to competition with other large cat species), but the South American Jaguar, the only large Cat in its range, flourished.

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Status : Extinct 1.5 million years
Location : Europe
Size : Length up to 20ft (6m), Weight up to 460lbs (210kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae -- Genus : Panthera -- Species : P. gombaszoegensis

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.

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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

African Pied Crow

Corvus albus

African Pied Crows are medium sized Corvids (Crows and Ravens) that hail from sub-Saharan Africa. They are distinguishable from many other crows by the bright white feathers that cover the neck and chest. They are highly adaptable birds, and can found in a variety of habitats.

Like other Crows and Ravens, African Pied Crows are quite intelligent, and can be taughts to perform all kinds of tricks and tasks in captivity. In the wild they are very social birds, and live in small groups. They will even work together to mob prey from much larger birds of prey!

African pied Crows can be kept as pets, but they take a great deal of care to be properly raised. (Interestingly, native Crows and Ravens cannot be kept in the UNited States, but foreign birds like the Pied Crow can) Their high intelligence and craftiness means they can become destructive if not given proper socialization and enrichment. They are extremely active and require a good deal of space to stay happy. While they can make for exciting and enjoyable pets, they  are definitely not for everyone!

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Africa

Size : Length up to 20in (50cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Corvidae -- Genus : Corvus -- Species : C. albus

Superb Lyrebird

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... four calling birds...

Male Superb Lyrebird

Alright, today's animal was a little less specific on type. We've had Partridges, which are contained in one family. We've had Turtledoves, a term that relates to only a few species. But now we have "Calling Birds," which I've taken to mean some sort of songbirds (though this one source claims it refers to Blackbirds, which is an interesting read.)

Anyway, my choice to go with a songbird puts me in a pickle, as songbirds aren't found in just one genus, or family. Nope, that's an entire order. So you know what? Let's go big. And awesome. Or dare I say... Superb?

Meet the Superb Lyrebird, one of the largest, longest, and heaviest songbirds on the planet. Not the petite little guy that typically comes to mind when you think of the song, huh? These birds live in the forests of Australia, and are sexually dimorphic. Females are brownish-gray, and have short tail feathers. Males, on the other hand, have spectacular tails with lacy feathers and two large plumes that form the shape of a Lyre.

Superb Lyrebirds aren't just large and flashy... they have some serious pipes. They have the ability to mimic the calls of other birds, and can even duplicate other random noises as well (watch the video clip below, it's pretty amazing). Both the males and hte females sing, but the males are louder and do it more frequently.

Singing is done more often during the breeding season, when males work to attract females into their territories. Superb Lyrebirds are not monogamous; females will enter male territories and scope out potential mates. The males built mounds, where they stand and do their displays. Upon mating, she will build a nest in her own range, and incubate and care for the single chick alone.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Australia
Size : Length (with feathers) 3.2ft (1m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Menuridae -- Genus : Menura -- Species : M. novaehollandiae

Giant Koala

Giant Koala Model

Thousands and a millions of years ago, Australia went through a boom of Megafauna. Cow-sized Wombats! Huge Kangaroos! Massive Snakes! There was even a Giant Koala!

Unfortunately... the Giant Koala wasn't really all that giant. Fossils demonstrate that the species was about 1.3 larger, but much heavier and more robust.

What makes the species really interesting is that they happened to live side by side with modern Koalas. They were not their ancestors, but rather their genus sharing cousins. This brings up questions regarding where Koalas actually came from, as for a long time they were considered to be descendants of the Giant Koalas. So far the fossil record hasn't provided the full picture (which is common, as there are very exact conditions that must be met for something to fossilize).

Unfortunately, we do not know what caused the extinction of the Giant Koala. But with modern Koalas facing a similar fate, we may see history tragically  repeat itself.

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Status : Extinct for 50,000 years
Location : Australia
Size : Weight around 30lbs (13kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Infraclass : Marsupialia
Order : Diprotodontia -- Family : Phascolarctidae -- Genus : Phascolarctos -- Species : P. stirtoni

Yochelcionella

Yochelcionella

Today's animal is one of the older ones that we've talked about. Older than Dinosaurs, older even than the existence of land animals. Yochelcionella is the name from a genus of now-extinct  Molluscs that lived during the Cambrian over 520 million years ago.

About a dozen species have been identified from fossils, and they have a very wide distribution. Remember, back 500 million years ago, the world looked like a very different place! Remains have been found in places like China, Australia, Greenland, Canada, Spain, and Antarctica!

Members of the genus can all be identified by their interesting shells. They are very high cones, with little spouts sticking out of them. Scientists tend to agree that these spouts were used for respiration. Because only the shells are found, they are usually reconstructed to look similar to a Snail. Like just almost all animals during this time period, the Yochelcionella species lived underwater.

Perhaps my favorite little fact about these guys is that one species, Y. daleki, is named after the murderous Daleks from the long running British Sci-Fi  series, Doctor Who. The little spout on the Mollusc does kind of bear a resemblance to the Dalek arms...

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Status : Extinct for around 525 million years

Location : All over the world

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : †Helcionelloida -- Order : †Helcionelliformes
Family : †Yochelcionellidae -- Genus : †Yochelcionella

Rough Green Snake

Opheodrys aestivus

The Rough Green Snake is a very slender reptile that can be found  near forested areas in the Southeastern United States. They are diurnal and arboreal, and their entire bodies are a light green, which helps them to hide among the vegetation.

Breeding typically takes place during the spring, and males leave the female immediately after copulation. She will lay only about a dozen eggs, but it takes between 5 and 12 weeks to hatch. Interestingly, the gestation time is based on the temperature outside. After the eggs hatch the females have nothing more to do with their offspring.

Rough Green Snakes are primarily insectivores, though they will also eat small vertebrates as well. They are neither venomous nor are they constrictors. They hunt using their exceptional vision, and by striking at their prey with quick speed.

Rough Green Snakes are common throughout their range, and are not currently threatened.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Southeastern United States
Size : Length up to 3ft (90cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Colubridae -- Genus : Opheodrys -- Species : O. aestivus

Red-crowned Crane

Grus japonensis

The Red-crowned Crane is a large species of bird that can be found in the rivers and marshes of East Asia. They are the heaviest of the Crane species, and are also the most aquatic; they live, breed, nest, and feed there. The Crane's diet consists of fish, insects, amphibians, and a wide variety of reeds and aquatic grasses.

Red-crowned Cranes are also sometimes referred to as Japanese or Manchurian Cranes. They are symbols of peace, long life, and fidelity in their native countries, and have long been represented in folklore and art. These birds are popular icons in Japanese wedding ceremonies, as the Cranes form lifelong monogamous pairs that frequently dance and sing to one another. They were also designated as one of Japan's National Animals in 1952.

Despite the reverence and persistence in culture and folklore, the Red-crowned Crane almost went extinct during the 20th century. Hunting, habitat loss, and devastation caused by World War II reduced the Japanese population down to only a handful of birds, and similar threats damaged populations elsewhere.

The species is now protected in Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and Russia. Other conservation efforts include the creation of supplemental feeding stations and the installation of bird-visible power lines. The population is rebounding, but wetland drainage and development continue to pose threats. Interestingly, the Demilitarized Zone has become a popular spot for these birds, but the fragile political nature of that area could cause the birds to lose this now human-free habitat.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : East Asia
Size : Height up to 62in (1.6m), Weight up to 22lbs (10kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Gruiformes
Family : Gruidae -- Genus : Grus -- Species : G. japonensis

Haikouichthys

Haikouichthys

Haikouichthys is quite a mouthful to say for such a tiny creature. (High-Koo-ICK-Thisss!) These prehistoric swimmers measured only about an inch long, and lived way back in the Early Cambrian around 530 million years ago!

Haikouichthys is one of the many, many animals that evolved during the Cambrian. This period, which lasted from 542-488 million years ago, saw rapid and diverse evolution and population growth. What makes this particular animal so interesting is that it could be considered one of the very first fish. They had skulls, designating them as some of the earliest craniates. However, the fossil record is unclear as to whether they had actual spines, or just primitive notochords.

Spine or not, Haikouichthys demonstrated several other traits that can be found in modern fish. They had relatively fish like shapes, complete with two eyes and a mouth at the front of their heads, fines, and bilateral symmetry.

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Status : Lived 530 million years ago
Location : Fossils found in China
Size : Length 1in (2.5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Superclass : Agnatha -- Family : Myllokunmingiidae
Genus : Haikouichthys

Milkfish

Chanos chanos

Meet the Milkfish, an interesting creature that can be found off of the coasts and in the reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are also a national symbol in the Philippines.

What makes the Milkfish so interesting? Well, for one, they are the only living member of their entire family, and are one of only a few species living within their entire order that dates back to the Cretaceous! Secondly, they have no teeth. Despite the fact that they can grow to lengths of up to 5ft, they feed only on algae and very small invertebrates.

Milkfish are referred to as Bangus in the Philippines, and the farming of these fish has been an industry there for around six hundred years! China, Taiwan, and Indonesia have also been commercially raising the fish for centuries, and each country has it's own method for handling the nurseries, the raising of the fish, and the harvesting.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Indian and Pacific Oceams
Size : Length up to 5ft (1.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Actinopterygii -- Order : Gonorynchiformes
Family : Chanidae -- Genus : Chanos -- Species : C. chanos

Yellow-spotted Millipede

Harpaphe haydeniana

Not all Millipedes are gigantic like the big, 15in long African Millipedes. Today's animal is one of those Myriapods on the smaller side of the scale-- it doesn't get much bigger than 2in long!

The Yellow-spotted Millipede is found along the Pacific coast of North America. They are very important members of their ecosystem, as they help to break up leave litter and release nutrients.

As adults, have these Millipedes have predominantly black bodies with yellow patches that run along the sides. When full grown they have 20 body segments. Females have 31 pairs of legs, while males only have 30. The difference in number has to do with the placement of the males' reproductive organs.

Did you know that Yellow-spotted Millipedes have very few predators? Though they live in an area with lots of invertebrate-eating creatures, they remain very safe. This is because they have the ability to secrete Hydrogen Cyanide! The species is sometimes called the Almond-scented Millipede, due to Cyanide's almond-like smell.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Western North America
Size : Length up to 2in (5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Superclass : Myriapoda -- Class : Diplopoda
Order : Polydesmida -- Family : Xystodesmidae -- Genus : Harpaphe -- Species : H. haydeniana

Moustached Treeswift

Hemiprocne mystacea

Moustached Treeswifts are not actually true Swifts, but they are close relatives. There are actually just four species of Treeswift in the world, and they all belong to the same genus and live in Southeast Asia.

Today's animal is another critter that I chose entirely for it looks. It has a mustache made of feathers! Very cute!

The Moustached Treeswifts don't seem to be too picky about the habitats that they live in. Lowland forests, mountainous forests, and even swampy forests will all work nicely for these guys, who are found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

Insects are the preferred diet for these Treeswifts, and they are able to maneuver very easily through the forests in order to find their prey. Males and females form monogamous pairs during the breeding season, and lay only one eggs at a time, which incubates in nest that is attached to a tree branch. The parents will feed their chick regurgitated insects until it is old enough to fledge and hunt on its own.

Moustached Swifts are common throughout their range, and are listed as being of Least Concern. Unfortunately I had to use an illustration for their visual, since the photographs didn't do justice to their mustaches...

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Papua New Guinea, Indonesia
Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Apodiformes
Family : Hemiprocnidae -- Genus : Hemiprocne -- Species : H. mystacea

Pale Fox

Vulpes pallida

What do you know about the Pale Fox? Not much? Me neither. But readers, we aren't alone in our lack of knowledge about this canine. You see, the Pale Fox is one of the least studied foxes in the entire world!

There are a few reasons why they hold such a distinction. 1.) They live in remote, sandy areas of the African Sahel. 2.) They have sandy colored coats that make them very difficult to spot in these habitats. 3.) They are nocturnal.

Pale Foxes are so little studied that it took until this year (2012) for the species to get a conservation designation from the IUCN. Before that, no one really knew how numerous they were, or how potentially threatened. They have been labeled as Least Concern for now, but the population trend is still unknown.

In addition to the facts given above, we know that these foxes live in small family groups, and build burrows underground. They also have a surprising diet-- they eat a whole lot of plants, and have the back molars to prove it. (They do also eat small critters and insects). Finally, Pale Foxes look a lot like Fennecs, but have larger bodies and smaller ears.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Africa
Size : Body length up to 18in (46cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae -- Genus : Vulpes -- Species : V. pallida

Barndoor Skate

Skates are cartilaginous fish that look similar to Rays, which are probably more widely known. The Barndoor Skate, today’s animal, can be found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, swimming from the coasts of Canada all the way down to North Carolina. They are one of the largest Skates in this area of the ocean.

Dipturus laevis

You can identify a Barndoor Skate by its sharp angles, pointed snout, and reddish brown spotted dorsal side. They have very long lived and slow to grow. These fish don’t reach sexual maturity until the age of 11! 

Barndoor Skates are not picky when it comes to their food. They are exceptional predators, and will eat just about any type of small, benthic dwelling creature. This includes Crustaceans, Cephalopods, Fish, Mollusks, and Worms! 

Barndoor Skates have commercial value to humans, though they are not typically fished intentionally, and are often a bycatch. Their parts are used for bait, fish meal, and for pet food. The meat off their wings is consumed by humans. While these Skates were once abundant, their numbers have declined significantly since the 1960s. It is believed the population may have dropped by as much as 99% in certain areas. Since the 1990s, fishing has declined in their range, and prohibitions on their capture have allowed the population to become stable. 

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IUCN Status : Endangered

Location : Northwest Atlantic

Size : Length up to 5ft (1.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata – Class : Chondrichthyes – Order : Rajiformes

Family : Rajidae – Genus : Dipturus – Species : D. laevis

Cookiecutter Shark

Isistius brasiliensis

Today's animal is no joke! Though they only grow to be about a foot and a half long, they can do some really amazing looking damage to much larger sea creatures! Cookiecutter Sharks get their name from their relatively unique jaws and what they do with them. They have large, powerful sucking lips, a row of narrow teeth on the top, and a row of much larger, knife-like teeth on the bottom. Like other sharks, they regularly replace their teeth. However, instead of losing a single bottom tooth at a time, they replace the entire row at once! Old teeth are swallowed, giving the Cookiecutters a good source of Calcium.

Cookiecutter Sharks attract their much larger prey using bioluminescent photophores (which grow bright green). The bigger sea creatures will go after the shark, but in a twist they will become the actual prey. The Cookiecutter will latch on with its mouth, spin its body around, and remove a perfectly circular chunk of flesh (just like a cookie cutter does to dough). Seals, Marlins, Tuna, Whales, and larger Sharks have all been found with these circular chunks taken out of them. Cookiecutters have even taken bites out of rubber domes in submarines!

Cookiecutter Sharks are found in tropical and temperate oceans all over the world, and they undergo daily migrations between shallow and deep water. During the day they can be found as far as 2-3 miles down, but during the day they move toward the surface in order to feed.

The question that I'm sure many of you are asking is "what about people? Do they bite people?" The answer to this (99.9%) no. There has only been one documented case ever of a Cookiecutter Shark biting a human, and that occurred in Hawaii in 2009. Before that only two other instances of bites were recorded, but both were incidents where a person died in the water and bitten post-mortem.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Temperate and Tropical Oceans Worldwide
Size : Length up to 22in (56cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Chondrichthyes -- Order : Squaliformes
Family : Dalatiidae -- Genus : Isistius -- Species : I. brasiliensis

Meganeuropsis

Meganeuropsis

A while back we learned about Meganeura, a genus of gigantic Dragonflies that lived around 300 million years ago, back when the oxygen levels were higher and the earth could support insects of tremendous size.

So, it should not come as a shock that there were other huge Dragonflies out there, aside from Meganeura. Enter Meganeuropsis, a genus containing two species that rival the previously mentioned insects in size. (It's also important to note that the two genera occupied different areas. Meganerua in what is now Europe, and Meganeuropsis in the middle United States.)

The two known species are M. permiana and M. americana. They were uncovered in Kansas and Oklahoma respectively, back in 1937 and 1940. M. permiana  may be the largest insect ever, even bigger than the Meganeura species.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to tell just how large these insects were able to get, since the fossils had to have very specific conditions in order to stay preserved, and because the parts themselves were so delicate. In short, it is very rare to find these parts intact, so it can be difficult to determine overall size. The largest preserved wing so far  demonstrates a nearly 2.5ft wingspan (the fossil currently resides at Harvard).

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Status : Extinct for 250 million years
Location : North America
Size : Length up to 17in (43cm), Wingspan up to 28in (71cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : †Meganisoptera
Family : Meganeuridae -- Genus : Meganeuropsis

Six-Lined Racerunner

Cnemidophorus sexlineatus

Six-Lined Racerunners are lizards that can be found from Rhone Island down to Florida, and then across to Wyoming and Texas, giving them a decently large spread across the United States. They live in drier, open areas that have loose soil, and feed on insects and other invertebrates.

Six-Lined Racerunners are terrestrial Reptiles that can be identified by their six yellow strips that run down the body from head to tail. This pattern is pretty unique among Lizards within their region. Their species name even means "Six lined!"

They dig burrows into the ground, and use the burrows for hiding, resting, and egg laying. Mating takes place after hibernation ends, and only about half a dozen eggs are laid at a time.

One cool fact about these guys is that they are one of the fastest reptiles on land! They can run at speed of up to 18mph (29kph). Not bad for a tiny Lizard that is barely a foot long!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : North America

Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Teiidae -- Genus : Cnemidophorus -- Species : C. sexlineatus

Painted Lady Butterfly

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... Nine ladies dancing...

Vanessa cardui

Meet the Painted Lady, one of the most widespread Butterflies on the entire planet! They can be found living in temperate areas of just about every continent (except South America and Antarctica... though Antarctica isn't temperate anyway)

Painted Lady Butterflies live their lives in four stages. They start as eggs, which are laid on thistle leaves and hatch after 3-5 days. Then they live for another week or so as a spiny black Caterpillar that eats the thistle leaves that they were laid on. After that they pupate for up to 10 days before turning into an adult. The Butterfly can fly only a few hours after emerging with their fancy new wings.

Over the course of their lifetime, a Painted Lady Butterfly may travel up to 1,000 miles! This is pretty amazing when you realize that they are only adults for a couple of weeks at best. It can take multiple generations to make the full trip between migration points. In some years the migrations have been larger and more populous than others. Back in 1973, the larvae from the Painted Ladies were so abundant in Orange County, California, that exterminators had to come in due to infestation!

Painted Ladies are very popular classroom "pets." They are often raised in classrooms, as their 3 week lifecycle  makes for a great visual lesson plan on the stages of metamorphosis.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Worldwide, except South America and Antartica
Size : Wingspan 3.5in (9cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order  Lepidoptera
Family : Nymphalidae -- Genus : Vanessa -- Species : V. cardui

Butikaw

Varanus bitatawa

Today's animal goes by two different common names. The first is the titles of this post- Butikaw. This is the name given to the Lizard by the local residents. The second is Northern Seirra Madre Forest Monitor Lizard. Which is a bit of a mouthful. You can see why we'll be using the shorter name, right?

The Butikaw is actually a relatively new species to science-- they were first described and catalgoed as a species only a few years ago. The Butikaw is quite notable because it is one of only three frugivorous Monitor Lizard species in the entire world. They are actually close relatives to the Komodo Dragon, which makes their diet all the more surprising!

Doubly interesting is that this is a new species that is very, very large. Oftentimes the new animals that we find are very small, and are not as easily noticed. The Butikaw can grow to be 2m long! Granted, the indigenous people of the region had known about the large reptiles for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until 2001 that biologists noticed a picture and began to investigate. They also probably avoided detection because they rarely come to the ground. They live as high as 60ft up in the trees, and may only descend once a week for a very short period of time.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Philippines
Size :  Length up to 6.5ft (2m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Varanidae -- Genus : Varanus-- Species : V. bitatawa

False Killer Whale

Killer Whales, or Orcas, are actually Dolphins. The same is true for False Killer Whales. They are one of the largest members of the Delphinidae family, and males can grow as long as 20ft.

Pseudorca crassidens

Though they share part of a common name and some physical similarities, False Killer Whales and Killer Whales really aren't that closely related. They belong to separate genera. False Killer Whales have rounded heads with no beaks, tall dorsal fins, and dark coloration. They live in groups that can number into the dozens, and sometimes intermingle with other dolphins, like Bottlenoses. They feed mainly on cephalopods and large fish, using echolocation to locate and capture prey.

One rather interesting fact about False Killer Whales is that the world first learned of them from fossils. Live identification didn't occur until 15 years later! As you might guess, they aren't an exceptionally common species, though they can be found in temperate and tropical oceans world. For example, of the 18 species of dolphin and toothed whale found around Hawaii, they are the least populous.

According to the IUCN, there is not enough data to effectively evaluate the population of the species. They are uncommon, but also have a massive range, which makes getting exact numbers difficult, and makes it hard to determine how the species is being affected by factors like bycatch and antropogenic sound. A drastic population decrease could be incredibly troublesome for the species, because they are already uncommon, because they mature very slowly (males take about 18 years), and because they breed infrequently.

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient

Location : Temperate and Tropical Oceans

Size : Length up to 20ft (6m), Weight up to 1,500lbs (700kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Cetacea
Family : Delphinidae -- Genus : Pseudorca -- Species : P. crassidens

Chinese Mountain Cat

Felis silvestris bieti

The Chinese Mountain Cat is a very elusive feline. In fact, they are so hard to find that they were the very last cats to be discovered by science! Even then, most of what we knew was taken from skins, and it wasn't until 2007 that the first photograph was taken of one in the wild! They were once considered to be their own separate species, but genetic testing in recent years has led to reclassification.

This subspecies of Wildcat is endemic to China, where it can be found at high elevation grasslands, coniferous forests, and shrublands. They are active at night, and hunt for small animals like Birds, Pikas, and other Rodents.

It should come as no surprise that the Chinese Mountain Cat is a vulnerable subspecies with a small population size. Estimates state that only around 10,000 mature individuals remain. The intentional poisoning of Pikas has a lot to do with the Cat's decline. The Pika population goes down, lowering the Mountain Cat's food supply, and the cats themselves can become poisoned and die as well. Chinese Mountain Cats are listed in CITES II, and are protected in their native country, though the protection isn't as enforced as it is in other animals.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : China
Size : Body length up to 33in (84cm), Weight up to 9lbs (20kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae -- Genus : Felis -- Species : F. silvestris -- Subspecies : F. s. bieti

Barbary Macaque

Macaca sylvanus

Meet the only primate (besides humans of course!) to live on the European continent. Barbary Macaques, which  also live in Morocco and Algeria, exist in a handful of colonies within the British territory of Gibraltar, which is located on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

Though they are sometimes referred to as Barbary Apes or Rock Apes, that name is not technically correct. Though they do not have tails, they are actually true Old World Monkeys. They live in colonies that can number over 100 members, and they are relatively unique among Macaques in that the males actually help care for the young. This is due to the fact that the females will mate with more than one male, so the paternity of all offspring is uncertain.

Legend has it that British rule will continue on the tiny, 2.5 square mile stretch of land as long as the Macaques are around. (Sound familiar to a certain tale about the Tower Ravens, huh?) When the Monkeys began to dwindle in population during the early 1900s due to illness, more were important from Africa and reintroduced. There are now close to 300 Barbary Macaques living on the Rock of Gibraltar in a protected nature reserve (though they do come down to the city from time to time), and they have become quite the tourist spectacle!

Elsewhere the Barbary Macaque populations aren't doing so well. They were once widespread throughout Northern Africa, but now live in only a few pockets of Morocco and Algeria. Habitat loss from human encroachment and the logging industry has led to declining numbers. Hunting and culling practices have also led to lasting, negative effects on the species. They are now protected in a handful of national parks, and there are suggestions to reintroduce them to Libya and Tunisia.

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IUCN Status : Endangered

Location : Northern Africa, Gibraltar
Size : Body length around 2ft (60cm), Weight around 22lbs (10kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Cercopithecidae -- Genus : Macaca -- Species : M. sylvanus