Species Profile: Hector's Dolphin

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering a species of dolphin that is classed as one of the smallest dolphin species in the world. Please give a warm welcome to Hector's Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori).

Hector’s dolphin belongs to the Genus Cephalorhynchus which consist of four species which are Hector’s dolphin, Heaviside's dolphin, Chilean dolphin and Commerson's dolphin. They have the most restricted distribution of any dolphin, whale or porpoise species and resided in the waters around New Zealand. They are characterized by their colouration with the back/sides been a light grey, dorsal fin/flippers/ and flukes are black, throat and belly are white and black crescent shaped band across the head behind the blowhole (Reeves et al, 2013).

Picture by James Shook and map by Rudolph

Hector’s dolphin has a unique shaped dorsal fin as it is rounded compared to regular dolphin dorsal fin are curved. They feed mostly on fish such as yellow-eyed mullet, sprat and pilchard but also feed on squid if available (Miller et al, 2013). Hector’s dolphins live in small pods that contain 7-8 members (Brager, 1999).

Pictures of Hector’s dolphin with pod mate in background and caught in net by Stephen Dawson / WWF-Canon.

Hector’s dolphin is under threat from gillnets, pollution, collisions with boats, habitat modification and diseases. Majority of the dolphins are dying from drowning by net entanglement as they are unable to free themselves from the nets (Reeves et al, 2013). Coast development, oil/gas exploration and sand mining are causing changes in the dolphin’s habitat leading to pollution entering the water and making the dolphin’s sick (Worldwildlife, 2019). Toxoplasma gondii is a disease that caused by a parasitic one-celled eukaryote which can cause Toxoplasmosis. This can affect the dolphin’s body condition and can lead to death (Roe et al, 2013).

Next time, we will be covering a mouse species from Australia and its species name is Latin for Smoky.

References

Brager, S. 1999, "Association patterns in three populations of Hector's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori", Canadian journal of zoology, vol. 77, no. 1, pp. 13-18.

Miller, E., Lalas, C., Dawson, S., Ratz, H. & Slooten, E. 2013;2012;, "Hector's dolphin diet: The species, sizes and relative importance of prey eaten by Cephalorhynchus hectori, investigated using stomach content analysis", Marine Mammal Science, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 606-628.

Reeves, R.R., Dawson, S.M., Jefferson, T.A., Karczmarski, L., Laidre, K., O’Corry-Crowe, G., Rojas-Bracho, L., Secchi, E.R., Slooten, E., Smith, B.D., Wang, J.Y. & Zhou, K. 2013.

Roe, W.D., Howe, L., Baker, E.J., Burrows, L. & Hunter, S.A. 2013, "An atypical genotype of Toxoplasma gondii as a cause of mortality in Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori)", Veterinary Parasitology, vol. 192, no. 1-3, pp. 67-74.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/hector-s-dolphin retrieved 17/08/2019

Picture reference

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4162/44199757

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector%27s_dolphin

https://www.worldwildlife.org/media?species_id=hector-s-dolphin

Species Profile: Honeypot Ant and Carpenter ant

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering a species of ant that have specialized workers that gorged themselves on food that is provided by other worker ants causing their abdomens to swell and they become living larders. Say hello to the Honeypot ant.

The honeypot ant is a name used for specialized workers ants that have large abdomens. As this is used in many ant species, this blog post will be covering the ant species Camponotus inflatus or carpenter ants. Carpenter ants belong to the genus Camponotus which is the most diverse group of ants in Australia. They are characterized by their light-coloured feet, black coloured body and hairs covering the lower and anterior part of the head and the rest of the body. (Antwiki, 2019). The mandible of the carpenter ants contains six teeth which helps the ant break down desert flowers and small insects that is needed to feed the larders (antark, 2019).

Side view of Carpenter ant by Antwiki and Honeypot ant by Hans Boessem.

Carpenter ants build their nest in hot areas, mostly around the edges of deserts. Before the rain season, the living larders or repletes are fed until their abdomen are swollen and they are unable to move. Their abdomens look similar to honey which gives them the nickname “Honeypot ant” (Shattuck ,1999). When it is the wet season and food is scarce, worker ants tap the head of the replete and the replete regurgitates food for the workers. This continues until the wet season is over or the replete runs out of food (Nature, 1881).

Carpenter ants are under threat from climate change and be used in food industry. Many of the desert flowers that the ants feed on depend on the wet season which are becoming shorter due longer dry seasons. The replete “honeypot ant” have been harvested for dishes in the food industry as they are considered to be delicacy (Ecological Management & Restoration, 2012).

Next time we will be covering a species of dolphin that is the smallest dolphin in the world.

References

https://antark.net/ant-species/honey-pot-ant-myrmecocystus-mexicanus/ retrieved 29/7/2019

http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Camponotus_inflatus retrieved 29/7/2019

"Edible insects and management of country", 2012, Ecological Management & Restoration, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 97-99.

"Observations on Ants, Bees, and Wasps 1", 1881, Nature, vol. 23, no. 585, pp. 255-258.

Shattuck, S.O. 1999, Australian ants: their biology and identification, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

Picture references

https://www.ausemade.com.au/fauna-flora/fauna/insecta/hymenoptera/formicidae/formicinae/camponotus/honey-ant.htm (Honeypot ant)

http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Camponotus_inflatus

Species Profile: Giant Panda

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering a species of bear that is native to South China and has a unique diet. Give a warm welcome to the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).

The Giant Panda belongs to the Genus Ailuropoda and is the only current living relative of that genus. There are two sub species of Ailuropoda, one been Ailuropoda m. melanoleuca which is the well known black and white panda and A. m. qinlingensis or Qinling panda which is brown and white. This blog post will be covering the Ailuropoda m. melanoleuca. This panda is well known due to its black and white markings making appear cute and its gentle behaviour (Swaisgood et al. 2016). Pandas mostly feed on bamboo in the forests but can also eat meat, fish and eggs due to their ursine teeth (panda, 2003).

Giant Panda (left) by J. Patrick Fischer and Qinling Panda (right) by AilieHM 

Pandas spend majority of their day foraging for bamboo shoots as they are easier to eat than the bamboo leaves. Pandas will migrate to other areas in search of food during winter season and will enter villages/towns to feed on garbage. Female pandas give birth to twins although only one usually survive to adulthood as the mother will raise the stronger twin and leaves the weaker one to starve. The male panda does not help with the rearing of the cubs (Lindburg & Baragona, 2004).

Baby Pandas by Joshua Doubek.

Habitat restriction and degradation are major threats to the pandas as the forest they depend on is been cleared for agriculture and timber/firewood, leaving less areas for pandas to live/migrate to. The loss of forest also affects the bamboo which the panda needs to survive.

Next time, we will be covering a species of ant that are called living larders.

References

Lindburg, D.G. & Baragona, K. 2004, Giant Pandas - Biology and Conservation, 1st edn, University of California Press, Berkeley.

panda. (2003). In The MacMillan encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Aylesbury, UK: Market House Books Ltd.

Swaisgood, R., Wang, D. & Wei, F. 2016. Ailuropoda melanoleuca (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T712A121745669. Downloaded on 26 July 2019.

Picture references

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinling_panda

Species Profile: Desert Rain Frog

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering a species of frog that resides in the sandy beach between the sea and sand dunes of Namibia and South Africa. This little frog in currently under threat from habitat loss and lack of knowledge about its behaviour. Please give a warm welcome to this little guy and his cute war cry, the Desert Rain Frog (Breviceps macrops).

The Desert rain frog is a member of the family Brevicipitidae or “rain frogs” that resided in Eastern and Southern Africa. This species of frog is characterized by its brown/yellow plump body, bulging eyes, short snout and limbs, spade-like feet and webbed toes. Its underside is transparent which the internal organs can be seen (AmphibiaWeb, 2019). The Desert rain frog is a fossorial which means that it has adapted to burrowing and surviving underground and also burying itself in sand dunes with low laying vegetation (IUCN, 2017).

 

Picture of Desert rain frog (above) by Alan Channing and Desert rain frog camouflaged (below) by Amphibianfacts.

This species of frog’s life development is interesting because unlike other frogs which lay eggs and they hatch into tadpoles, Desert rain frogs emerge from their eggs as juvenile frogs (Channing and Wahlberg, 2011). One parent keeps watch over the eggs while they are developing in the burrow. Desert rain frogs look for animal dung at dusk and night to find beetles to feed on (Amphibianfacts, 2019). This species, when threatened make a unique sound as a war cry to scare off rivals or predators. However, this war cry sound is similar to a squeaky toy (AmphibiaWeb). A video below from BBC shows the frog using its war cry.

Desert rain frogs are under threat to loss of habitat as much of the sand dune which they rely is due to coastal opencast diamond mining. Construction of roads, urban development and agricultural uses is also a factor to loss of habitat (IUCN, 2017). Lack of studies on this species has led to problems on a long-term management plan for the frog and its environment.

Next time, we will be covering a species of bear that has a unique diet and is popular in China.

References

Alan Channing & Kirsty Wahlberg (2011) Distribution and conservation status of the desert rain frog Breviceps macrops, African Journal of Herpetology, 60:2, 101-112, DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2011.608383

https://www.amphibianfact.com/desert-rain-frog.asp retrieved on 2/07/2019

AmphibiaWeb. 2019. <http://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 1 Jul 2019.

IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group & South African Frog Re-assessment Group (SA-FRoG) 2017. Breviceps macrops. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T3070A2794989. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T3070A2794989.en. Downloaded on 02 July 2019.

Picture and video references

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3070/2794989

https://www.amphibianfact.com/desert-rain-frog.asp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBxn56l9WcU

Species Profile: Asian Elephant

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering an elephant species that is currently under threat from poaching and forest fragmentation. Please give a warm welcome to the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus).

The Asian elephant is currently the largest living land animal in Asia and is the only surviving species of the genus Elephas. There are currently less than 50,000 Asian elephants left in the world and is considered to be an important cultural icon in Asia. Asian elephants are similar to the African elephant with the exception of their ears which are smaller and both females and males have smaller or no tusks (Worldwildlife, 2019). They play an important part in the environment as they create gaps in the vegetation they eat, this allows new plants to grow. They also eat and transport seeds across to new areas. (Taronga, 2019).

Photo of herd of females (Above) by Ajay A Desai and tusked male (Below) by Yathin S Krishnappa.

Female Asian elephants live in small herds that are led by the oldest female which is called the matriarch. Matriarchs protect and lead the herd to new areas for feeding or water. Many of the herd’s females are related to each as sisters or aunties. Females are highly protective of baby elephants and won’t hesitate to attack anything that can be a threat to them. This can include predators, other elephants and humans (animalplant.com, 2019). Below is a map that shows red areas as current elephant living areas and pink was previous distribution of Asian elephants.

 

Mother and calf By Nigel Swales and map by Sémhur. 

Asian elephants have been hunted by poachers for their meat, skin and ivory. The skin has been used in Chinese medicine and the manufacturing of ornamental beads. The ivory is used in the making of items such as flasks, plates, and knives. Deforestation is another problem for the elephants as the forest they depend on for food and shelter is been using for furniture (Choudhury et al, 2008).

Next time, we will be covering a species a frog that lives in sand dunes and is considered to be the world’s cutest frog because of its war cry.

References

Choudhury, A., Lahiri Choudhury, D.K., Desai, A., Duckworth, J.W., Easa, P.S., Johnsingh, A.J.T., Fernando, P., Hedges, S., Gunawardena, M., Kurt, F., Karanth, U., Lister, A., Menon, V., Riddle, H., Rübel, A. & Wikramanayake, E. (IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group) 2008. Elephas maximus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T7140A12828813. Downloaded on 28 June 2019.

http://www.animalplanet.com/wild-animals/endangered-species/asian-elephant/ retrieved on 29/06/2019

https://taronga.org.au/animals/asian-elephant retrieved on 29/06/2019

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/asian-elephant retrieved on 29/06/2019

Picture references

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/7140/12828813

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_elephant

Species profile: Reticulated giraffe

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering a giraffe species in Africa that is under threat from loss of habitat. Please welcome, the Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata).

The Reticulated Giraffe is a subspecies of giraffe that is native to the Horn of Africa. It belongs to the family Giraffidae and shares a common ancestor with cervids (deer) and bovids (bison, sheep etc.). It is one of the tallest animals on earth and is characterized its long neck, short tufted mane, two/four skin covered horns on its head and large polygonal brown coloured spots outlined by white lines (giraffe, 2008).

Photo of giraffes by Brandt Luke Zorn. Horn of Africa by Skilla1st.

The Reticulated Giraffe lives in savannahs, woodlands, rainforests, and seasonal flood plains where food is available. They live in small groups and most of them are females with young. Male Reticulated Giraffes travel alone and fight other males by butting each other with their long necks and head. This fight usually ends with one male submitting and walking away. However, in rare cases the fights can lead to serious injuries and death (Muneza et al. 2019). The giraffe’s height allows it to reach the top of acacias trees and feed on the leaves using their 21-inch tongue. However, their height is also a disadvantage as they have to spread their front legs and bend down to reach water from rivers or lakes. This leads them to be vulnerable to predators such as lions, or African wild dogs (2019, national geographic).

Giraffe with tongue sticking out by Tanya Dewey and giraffe eating by Kay Holekamp.

This Giraffe species is under threat from habitat loss and poaching. Giraffe’s have been hunted for their meat, hide and tails. Giraffe tail’s have been used to make good luck bracelets, fly whisks and thread for sewing. This had led to giraffe’s been hunted just for their tails alone. Loss of habitat has resulted in a loss of the acacias trees and space which the giraffes need to survive. Giraffes need large areas to travel and increasing farmlands and urban housing has led to giraffes enter human areas.

Next time, we will be covering a species of elephant that has come under threat from poaching.

References

https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/giraffe retrieved 23/06/19

giraffe. (2008). In Philip's encyclopedia. [Online]. London: Philip's. Available from: https://elibrary.jcu.edu.au/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/philipency/giraffe/0?institutionId=429 [Accessed 23 June 2019].

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/giraffe/ retrieved 23/06/19

Muneza, A., Doherty, J.B., Hussein Ali, A., Fennessy, J., Marais, A., O'Connor, D. & Wube, T. 2018. Giraffa camelopardalis ssp. reticulata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T88420717A88420720. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T88420717A88420720.en. Downloaded on 23 June 2019.

Picture references

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_of_Africa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reticulated_giraffe

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Giraffa_camelopardalis/

Species Profile: Pygmy white-tailed rat

Hello again, welcome back to animals under threat. Today, we will be covering a rat species that is endemic to North Queensland and has become under the category of near threatened. Please welcome the Pygmy white-tailed rat (Uromys hadrourus).

The Pygmy white-tailed rat is a species of rat that belongs to the Muridae family and is less known than its sister species, the more common Giant white-tailed rat (Uromys caudimaculatus). Discovered at Thorntons Peak in 1973, little is known about this species apart from the brown colour fur back, white fur on its chest and hairless mosaic tail (Woinarski & Burbidge, 2016).

Picture by Mike Trennery.

As little is known about the preferred habitat of the Pygmy white-tailed rat, some scientists believe this species prefers rainforests with large ferns and vine trees (Moore, 2010). They are known to eat rainforest fruits and insects with their favourite insect been large beetles (Department of Environment and Science, 2017-2019).

Photo (right) by Mark Sanders and photo (left) by Nathan Litjens. 

The major threats to this species are deforestation and introduced predators and pests. Cane toads are a threat due to the Pygmy white-tailed rat competing for beetles and biting the toad causes the rat to become poisoned. Feral cats and dogs hunt Pygmy white-tailed rat for food and destroy possible nesting sites. Deforestation of needed plants that provide the food of the rat are been removed for urban and agriculture uses (wettropics, 1998).

Next time, we will be covering a species of giraffe that is under threat in Africa.

References

Moore, L.A. 2010, Niche differentiation, rarity, and commonness in the sympatric Australian white-tailed rats: Uromys caudimaculatus and Uromys hadrourus.

The State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Science) 2017–2019, https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mount-lewis/culture.html retrieved on 29/05/19

https://www.wettropics.gov.au/rainforest_explorer/Resources/Documents/TropicalTopics/Rodents.pdf retrieved on 29/05/19 1998

Woinarski, J. & Burbidge, A.A. 2016. Uromys hadrourus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22802A22446971. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20161.RLTS.T22802A22446971.en

Picture references

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/mount-lewis/culture.html

google images