Animal Of The Day!

[LegendChu]

Finally, the Animals get their own place on the community ^^.

Okay, thought about starting a short series, with the spotlight being on some lesser known animals.

Since this Forum is gonna be here for only a month, I'll try & showcase a new species every day. Feel free to comment & add inputs :).

FEATURED SPECIES INDEX
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01. CACOMISTLE
02. SIFAKA
03. PYGMY MARMOSET
04. PIKA
05. TAMANDUA
06. BOOMSLANG
07. VAQUITA
08. GALAH
09. KAKAPO
10. TUATARA
11. BULLET ANT
12. GERENUK
13. BINTURONG
14. WOMBAT
15. MARGAY
16. CHEVROTAIN
17. OLM
18. KODKOD
19. ONCILLA
20. ECHIDNA
21. SANGAI
22. KINKAJOU
23. SIDEWINDER
24. CARACAL
25. HOATZIN

So the first one on the list is:-

CACOMISTLE

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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Bassariscus
Species: Bassariscus sumichrasti

The Cacomistle is a nocturnal, arboreal & omnivorous member of the carnivoran family Procyonidae (the only living member of this Subfamily). The name in the Nahuatl language, means "half-cat", but since its of the Order Carnivora, its related to both cats & dogs, along with many other animals.

They are usually around 15 to 18 inches (38-47cm) & have a tail span of about 15 to 20 inches (39-53cm). Although it looks very similar to its relative, the Ringtailed Cat, it can be differentiated by its more pointed ears, non-retractable claws, a significantly longer tail & the lower ridges on their molars. The coloration of their pelage is a grayish to somewhat brownish gray. Their tail, similar to the Ringtailed Cat, has rings of black.

They are mostly solitary mammals & usually have a nest or den built into a tree to facilitate the birth of their young. The mostly give birth to a single solitary offspring & it takes around 60 days for gestation.

They are sometimes kept as pets & similar to the Ringtail it is possible to tame, but not exactly domesticate.

It has 5 subspecies - Bassariscus sumichrasti variabilis, Bassariscus sumichrasti sumichrasti, Bassariscus sumichrasti oaxacensis, Bassariscus sumichrasti notinus & Bassariscus sumichrasti latrans.

Their current habitats are listed as - Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua & Panama. They are mostly found in Subtropical/Tropical Dry forests & Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland. But they are very rare species & their population is highly on decline, as they are heavily dependent on their environment & with ever increasing rates of habitat loss, its future is very uncertain.

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[moon]

Omg hi little dog cat thingy! Come live in my imaginary garden. I'd never heard of it before but it looks pretty adorable.

 

[LegendChu]

Omg hi little dog cat thingy! Come live in my imaginary garden. I'd never heard of it before but it looks pretty adorable.

Okay, at least one reply, that's motivation enough to continue I guess. Here's another one for your garden:-

SIFAKA
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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Indriidae
Genus: Propithecus

Sifakas are a genus (Propithecus) of lemur from the family Indriidae within the order Primates. Their name is an onomatopoeia of their characteristic "shi-fak" alarm call.

They are medium-sized indrids with a head & body length of 40 to 55 cms (16 to 22 in) & weighing around 3 to 6 kgs (6.6 to 13.2 lbs). Their tail is just as long as their body, which differentiates them from the Indri. Their fur is long & silky, with coloration varying by species from yellowish-white to black brown. The round, hairless face is always black. As with all lemurs, the sifaka has special adaptations for grooming, including a claw on its second toe & a toothcomb.

Sifakas are diurnal and arboreal. They move by vertical clinging & leaping, i.e. they maintain an upright position, when leaping from tree trunk to tree trunk & moving along branches. They are skillful climbers & powerful jumpers, able to make leaps of up to 10 m (32.8 ft) from one tree to the other.

On the ground they move like all indrids with bipedal sideways hopping movements of the hind legs, holding their forelimbs up for balance.

Here's a very funny video of that:-

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They are herbivores, eating leaves, flowers & fruits. When not searching for food, they spend a good part of the day sunbathing, stretched on the branches. They live in larger groups than the other indrids (up to 13).

They have 4-5 month gestation period & give birth to a single offspring. The young holds fast to the mother's belly when small, but then later is carried on her back. Young are weaned after about six months & reach full maturity at the age of two to three years. The life expectancy of the Sifakas is up to 20 years.

There are 9 known species of Sifakas, belonging to two groups:-
P. diadema group - Diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema), Milne-Edwards' sifaka (Propithecus edwardsi), Silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus), Perrier's sifaka (Propithecus perrieri)
P. verreauxi group - Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli), Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), Von der Decken's sifaka (Propithecus deckenii), Crowned sifaka (Propithecus coronatus), Golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli)

Like all lemurs, Sifakas are found only on the island of Madagascar. All species of Sifakas are threatened with extinction, ranging from vulnerable to critically endangered.

Pika Pika :chu:
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[Spyro]

Why are all the Sifakas moving like that, it's hilarious and adorable omg hahaha! <3

 

[LegendChu]

Why are all the Sifakas moving like that, it's hilarious and adorable omg hahaha! <3

They are adorable alright. Speaking of adorable, the next one surely falls under that category :).

PYGMY MARMOSET

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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Callitrichidae
Genus: Cebuella
Species: Cebuella pygmaea

The Pygmy Marmoset is one of the world's smallest primates & is the smallest true monkey, with a head-body length ranging from 117 to 152 millimetres (4.6 to 6.0 in) & a tail length of 172 to 229 millimetres (6.8 to 9.0 in). The average adult body weight is just over 100 grams (3.5 oz). Their fur colour is a mixture of brownish-gold, grey & black on its back & head, & yellow, orange & tawny on its underparts. Its tail has black rings & its face has flecks of white on its cheeks and a white vertical line between its eyes.

The Pygmy Marmoset has been viewed as somewhat different from typical marmosets, most of which are classified in the genera Callithrix & Mico & thus has its own genus, Cebuella, within the family Callitrichidae.

They live in groups of 2-9, including a dominant male, a breeding female & up to four successive litters of offspring. The female gives birth to twins twice a year and the parental care is shared between the group.

It is a gum-feeding specialist or a gummivore. It gnaws holes in the bark of appropriate trees & vines with its specialized dentition to elicit the production of gum. When the sap puddles up in the hole, it laps it up with its tongue. It also lies in wait for insects, especially butterflies, which are attracted to the sap holes.

It has 2 subspecies - Northern/Western Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea) & Eastern Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea niveiventris).

They are found in much of the western Amazon Basin, in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia & mostly reside in evergreen & river edge forests.

It is listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as its common across its wide range & not at immediate risk of widespread decline. The biggest threats to the species are habitat loss & pet trade.

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[Sunshine Moonlight]

Never heard of it. Its cute though.

 

[LegendChu]

Alright, next up, the critter my fav Pokemon is based on {<3}.

PIKA

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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Ochotonidae
Genus: Ochotona

Pikas are small mammals, with short limbs, very round body, rounded ears & no external tail. They look like a combination of a rabbit, guinea pig & vole. They are about 15 to 23 cms (5.9 to 9.1 in) in body length & weigh between 120 to 350 grams (4.2 to 12.3 oz), depending on the species.

The name "Pika" is used for any member of the Ochotonidae, a family within the order of lagomorphs, which also includes the Leporidae (rabbits & hares). One genus, Ochotona, is recognised within the family & it includes 30 species. The name "pika" may have been derived from the Tungus "Piika".

Pikas are diurnal or crepuscular, with higher-elevation species generally being more active during the daytime. Rock-dwelling Pikas store their own "haypile" of dried vegetation, while burrowing species often share food stores with their burrow mates.

Pikas have distinct calls that vary in duration. The call can either be short and quick, a little longer and more drawn out, or they can be songs. They are also known as the "whistling hare" due to their high-pitched alarm call, when diving into its burrow.

They are herbivores & feed on a wide variety of plant matter, including forbs, grasses, sedges, shrub twigs, moss & lichen. In autumn, they pull hay, soft twigs & other stores of food into their burrows to eat during the long, cold winter.

Pikas are native to cold climates & are found in Asia, North America & parts of Eastern Europe. They mostly reside in rocky mountain sides. The large-eared pika of the Himalayas and nearby mountains is one of the highest living mammals, found at heights of more than 6000 m.

Their average lifespan is roughly seven years in the wild. In order to determine how old a pika is, one would have to count the adhesion lines on the periosteal bone on the lower jaw.

There are 30 subspecies of Pika, falling under 3 Subgenus:-

Northern Pikas (Subgenus Pika) - Alpine Pika/Altai Pika (Ochotona alpina), Helan Shan Pika or Silver Pika (Ochotona argentata), Collared Pika (Ochotona collaris), Hoffmann's Pika (Ochotona hoffmanni), Northern Pika/Siberian Pika (Ochotona hyperborea), Pallas's Pika (Ochotona pallasi), American Pika (Ochotona princeps), Turuchan Pika (Ochotona turuchanensis)

Shrub-Steppe Pikas (Subgenus Ochotona) - Gansu Pika/Gray Pika (Ochotona cansus), Plateau Pika/Black-lipped Pika (Ochotona curzoniae), Daurian Pika (Ochotona dauurica), Tsing-ling Pika (Ochotona huangensis), Nubra Pika (Ochotona nubrica), Steppe Pika (Ochotona pusilla), Afghan Pika (Ochotona rufescens), Moupin Pika (Ochotona thibetana), Thomas's Pika (Ochotona thomasi)

Mountain Pikas (Subgenus Conothoa) - Chinese red Pika (Ochotona erythrotis), Forrest's Pika (Ochotona forresti), Gaoligong Pika (Ochotona gaoligongensis), Glover's Pika (Ochotona gloveri), Himalayan Pika (Ochotona himalayana), Ili Pika (Ochotona iliensis), Koslov's Pika (Ochotona koslowi), Ladak Pika (Ochotona ladacensis), Large-eared Pika (Ochotona macrotis), Muli Pika (Ochotona muliensis), Black Pika (Ochotona nigritia), Royle's Pika (Ochotona roylei), Turkestan red Pika (Ochotona rutila)

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[Aslan]

Aww Pikas are super cute! It looks a lot like a mix between a guinea pig and a mouse to me. Anyway keep it up with this thread - it's really interesting to learn about animals that I've never heard much about. :D

 

[LegendChu]

Time for the next animal on the list.

TAMANDUA

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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Superorder: Xenarthra
Order: Pilosa
Suborder: Vermilingua
Family: Myrmecophagidae
Genus: Tamandua

Tamanduas are a genus of anteaters.

The have tapered heads with a long, tubular snout, small eyes & protruding ears. Their tapered mouths house a tongue reaching upwards of 40 cm (16 in) in length. The tail is hairless & pink in color, marked with an irregular pattern of black blotches. The forefeet possess four clawed digits, the third digit bearing the largest claw, while the hind feet have five digits. Their fur is thick, bristly, yellowish-white to fawn in color, often with a broad black lateral band, covering nearly the whole of the side of their bodies. Northern Tamanduas are marked with a black V on their backs & a "vest" over their torso, while Southern Tamanduas in the lowest part of their range are considerably lighter in color & may have only the V. They have partially prehensile tails.

They live in forests & grasslands, are semi-arboreal. They are nocturnal, active at night & secreting away in hollow tree trunks & burrows abandoned by other animals during the day. They spend up to half of their time in the treetops, as much as 64%, where they forage for arboreal ants and termites. They mainly eat ants & termites, but also occasionally eat bees, beetles & insect larvae. In captivity, they eat fruits & meat. They have no teeth & depend on their powerful gizzards to break down their food.

Their small eyes afford limited vision. Instead of relying on their sense of sight, they primarily utilize their senses of smell and hearing to locate their insect prey.

The have two species - Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) & Northern Tamandua (Tamandua mexicana). The Northern Tamandua ranges from Southeastern Mexico south, throughout Central America & in South America, west of the Andes from Northern Venezuela to Northern Peru. The Southern Tamandua is found from Venezuela & Trinidad to Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil & Uruguay.

The IUCN Red List considers both species to be least concern. Both species are fairly common, yet face various threats. In Ecuador, Tamanduas are killed in precaution, due to the belief that they attack domestic dogs. They are sometimes hunted for meat or captured for the pet trade. They are also taken for the thick tendons in their tails, which are made into cordage.

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[Sunshine Moonlight]

Another animal I have never heard of. I did not know some of these even existed.

 

[LegendChu]

Let's have a reptile now, shall we :)?

BOOMSLANG

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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Colubrinae
Genus: Dispholidus
Species: Dispholidus typus

Boomslangs are large, venomous snakes in the family Colubridae. Its name means "tree snake" in Afrikaans & Dutch.

The average adult boomslang is 100–160 cm (3¼–5¼ feet) in total length, but some exceed 183 cm (6 feet). The eyes are exceptionally large & the head has a characteristic egg-like shape. Coloration is very variable. Males are light green with black or blue scale edges, but adult females may be brown. Weight varies from 175 to 510 g, with an average weight of 299.4 g.

They have excellent eyesight & often move their heads from side to side to get a better view of objects directly in front of them.

They are diurnal & almost exclusively arboreal. They are reclusive & flee from anything too large to eat. Their diet includes chameleons & other arboreal lizards, frogs & occasionally small mammals, birds & eggs from nesting birds, all of which they swallow whole. During cool weather, they hibernate for moderate periods, often curling up inside the enclosed nests of birds such as weavers.

Boomslangs are oviparous & produce up to 30 eggs which are deposited in hollow tree trunks or rotting logs. The eggs have a relatively long (three months on average) incubation period. Male hatchlings are grey with blue speckles & female hatchlings are a pale brown. Hatchlings are approximately 20 cm in length & pose no threat to humans, but are dangerously venomous by the time they reach a length of about 45 cm and a girth as thick as an adult's smallest finger. An adult boomslang has 1.6 to 8 mg of venom.

They are quite timid & bites generally occur only when people attempt to handle, catch, or kill it. When confronted & cornered, they inflate their necks & assume a striking "S"-shaped pose.

It is currently the only species in its genus, although several species & subspecies have been described in the past.

It is native & restricted to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Fun Fact - In the Harry Potter series, Boomslang skin is one of the few known ingredients of the Polyjuice Potion.

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

Just by looking at the way its eyes looked, I knew the Boomslang was gonna be venomous.

 

[LegendChu]

Time for some marine life now.

VAQUITA

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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Phocoenidae
Genus: Phocoena
Species: Phocoena sinus

Vaquita is a rare species of porpoise. The word Vaquita is Spanish for "little cow".

Vaquitas are somewhat stocky & have a characteristic porpoise shape. They are distinguishable by the dark rings surrounding their eyes, patches on their lips & a line that extends from their dorsal fins to their mouths. Their backs are a dark grey that fades to white undersides. As they mature, the shades of grey lighten. On average, females mature to a length of 140.6 cm (55.4 in), compared to 134.9 cm (53.1 in) for males.

Vaquitas are estimated to live about 20 years in ideal conditions. Reproduction occurs during late spring or early summer. Their gestation period is between 10 & 11 months. They have seasonal reproduction & usually have one calf in around March.

They use high-pitched sounds to communicate with one another & for echolocation to navigate through their habitats. They rarely swim deeper than 30 m (100 ft) & are known to survive in lagoons so shallow that their backs protrude above the surface.

They are rather non-selective about their food, feeding on crustaceans, small fish, octopuses & squid. Some of their most common prey are teleosts (fish with bony skeletons) such as grunts, croakers & sea trout. Like other cetaceans, vaquitas may use echolocation to locate prey, particularly as their habitat is often turbid.

Vaquitas are very evasive. They rise to breathe with a slow, forward motion & then disappear quickly. This lack of activity at the surface, makes them difficult to observe. They are less social than other porpoises, usually alone unless they are accompanied by a calf.

They are endemic to the northern area of the Gulf of California, or Sea of Cortez, residing in shallow, murky lagoons, along the shorelines.

Vaquitas have the unfortunate title of the most endangered cetacean in the world today. It has been listed as critically endangered since 1996. The population was estimated at 600 in 1997, but dropped below 100 in 2014, putting it in imminent danger of extinction. That number was updated to approximately 60 in 2015 & fell to approximately 30 in November 2016, leading to the conclusion that the species will soon be extinct.

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

Vaquitas have the unfortunate title of the most endangered cetacean in the world today. It has been listed as critically endangered since 1996. The population was estimated at 600 in 1997, but dropped below 100 in 2014, putting it in imminent danger of extinction. That number was updated to approximately 60 in 2015 & fell to approximately 30 in November 2016, leading to the conclusion that the species will soon be extinct.

Has there been any explanation on what's causing its decreasing population? My suspicions may have something to do with the residents at the Gulf of California. Is their extinction going to leave a large impact on its ecosystem?

 

[LegendChu]

Has there been any explanation on what's causing its decreasing population? My suspicions may have something to do with the residents at the Gulf of California. Is their extinction going to leave a large impact on its ecosystem?

Yes you're sort of right. The main reason, according to scientists, is that fishermen in areas where Vaquitas are found, use gillnets (a type of net to catch fish), which entangles & drowns the Vaquitas. You can check out this article - https://www.thedodo.com/vaquita-endangered-porpoise-2236404267.html. Its gives a detailed info on why the species faces extinction & what measures are being taken to save it.

Alright, so let's have the next one. How about a bird this time :)?

GALAH

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The Galah, also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo, galah cockatoo, roseate cockatoo or pink & grey, is one of the most common & widespread cockatoos.

The word "Galah" is derived from gilaa, a word found in Yuwaalaraay & other Aboriginal languages.

The classification of the Galah was difficult. It was separated in the monotypic genus Eolophus, but the further relationships were not clear. There are obvious morphological similarities between the Galah & the white Cockatoos that make up the genus Cacatua, so Galah was initially described as Cacatua roseicapilla.

Galahs are about 35 cm (14 in) long & weigh 270–350 g. They have a pale silver to mid-grey back, a pale grey rump, a pink face and chest & a light pink mobile crest. They have a bone-coloured beak & the bare skin of the eye rings is carunculated. They have grey legs. The male has very dark brown (almost black) irises & the female has mid-brown or red irises.

They nests in tree cavities. The eggs are white & there are usually two or five in a clutch. The eggs are incubated for about 25 days. Both parents share the incubation. The chicks leave the nest about 49 days after hatching.

The average age of all galahs is about 40 years. In their natural habitat the Galah is unlikely to reach the age of 20 years, but in captivity they can reach up to 70 to 80 years of age when a good quality diet is strictly followed. Galahs socialize adequately & can engage playfully in entertainment activities to support the overall very intelligent nature of the bird. Like most other cockatoos, galahs create strong lifelong bonds with their partners.

Galahs are found in almost all Australian states. They are common in some metropolitan areas, for example Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne, and common to abundant in open habitats which offer at least some scattered trees for shelter.

Three subspecies are usually recognised. There is slight variation in the colours of the plumage & in the extent of the carunculation of the eye rings among the three subspecies. The South-Eastern form, E. R. albiceps is clearly distinct from the Paler-bodied Western Australian subspecies, E. R. roseicapilla, although the extent & nature of the central hybrid zone remains undefined. Most pet birds outside Australia are the south-eastern form. The third form, E. R. kuhli, found right across the northern part of the continent, tends to be a little smaller & is distinguished by differences in the shape & colour of the crest, although its status as a valid subspecies is uncertain.

Fun Facts - "Galah" is also derogatory Australian slang, synonymous with 'fool' or 'idiot'. Because of the bird's distinctive bright pink, it is also used to describe a gaudy dress.

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[moon]

That is a pretty bird! Pink, white and grey are good color combinations, 5/7 fashion sense.

Also the Vaquita looks so weird. If I met one, I'd think it was a deformed dolphin :V

 

[LegendChu]

Here's another bird species.

KAKAPO

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Scientific classification:-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Strigopidae
Genus: Strigops
Species: S. habroptilus

Kakapo, also called the owl parrot, is a species of large, rotund, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot, of the super-family Strigopoidea.

The name "Kakapo" is the English transliteration of kākāpō which is derived from the Māori terms kākā (parrot) + pō (night). Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek strix, genitive strigos (owl) & ops (face), while its specific epithet comes from habros (soft) & ptilon (feather).

It has so many unusual features that it was initially placed in its own tribe, Strigopini. Recent phylogenetic studies have confirmed the unique position of this genus as well as the closeness to the Kaka & the Kea, both belonging to the New Zealand parrot genus Nestor. Together, they are now considered a separate family within the parrots, Strigopidae. Within the Strigopidae, the Kakapo is placed in its own tribe, Strigopini.

The adult Kakapo can measure from 58 to 64 cm (23 to 25 in) in length & weight can vary from 0.95 to 4 kg (2 to 9 lb) at maturity. Males are usually larger than females, weighing about 2 to 2.06 kgs (4.4 to 4.5 lbs), while females weigh around 1.28 to 1.5 kgs (2.8 to 3.3 lbs).

The beak of the kakapo is adapted for grinding food finely. For this reason, it has a very small gizzard compared to other birds of their size. It is generally herbivorous, eating native plants, seeds, fruits, pollen & even the sapwood of trees.

The Kakapo can't fly, having short wings for its size & lacking the pronounced keel bone (sternum) that anchors the flight muscles of other birds. It uses its wings for balance, support & to break its fall when leaping from trees. Unlike other land birds, the Kakapo can accumulate large amounts of body fat to store energy, making it the heaviest living species of parrot, the largest males attaining much heavier weights than any other extant parrot.

Like many parrots, the kakapo has a variety of calls. As well as the booms & chings of their mating calls, it will often skraark to announce its location to other birds.

The Kakapo is primarily nocturnal. It roosts under cover in trees or on the ground during the day and moves around its territories at night.

Though the Kakapo cannot fly, it is an excellent climber, ascending to the crowns of the tallest trees. It can also "parachute", descending by leaping & spreading its wings. In this way it may travel a few metres at an angle of less than 45 degrees.

Maori folklore suggests that the Kakapo was found throughout the country when the Polynesians first arrived in Aotearoa 700 years ago. The Maoris hunted the Kakapo for food and for their skins and feathers, which were made into cloaks. They used the dried heads as ear ornaments. Due to its flightlessness, strong scent & habit of freezing when threatened, the Kakapo was easy prey for the Maori & their dogs. In the 1880s, large numbers of mustelids (stoats, ferrets & weasels) were released in New Zealand to reduce rabbit numbers, but they also preyed heavily on many native species including the Kakapo.

In 1989, a Kakapo Recovery program was developed & a Kakapo Recovery Group established to implement it. The New Zealand Department of Conservation replaced the Wildlife Service for this task. The first action of the plan was to relocate all the remaining Kakapos to suitable islands for them to breed. To monitor the Kakapo population continuously, each bird is equipped with a radio transmitter. Every known Kakapo, barring some young chicks, has been given a name by Kakapo Recovery Program officials. It is an affectionate way for conservation staff to refer to individual birds & a stark reminder of how few remain.

Pika Pika :chu:

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

The Kakapo is yet another example of how screwed Australia's ecosystem has become for the past centuries due to invasive species.

 

[Sylphiel]

The kakapo has legit been one of my favorite animals for years, ever since I saw it in an issue of National Geographic (about extinct and endangered animals, of course) and then learned more about it. Probably was also the parrot that kicked off my liking for parrots.

Extremely sad what's happened to them, and I have major respect for those people who are able to help them. I'm rooting for them all.

 

[PastelPhoenix]

I know the Kakapo best from Sirocco, the original party parrot.

So unfortunate about their status, however. So unique for a flightless bird.