African Wild Dog

Dear Reader,

The African wild dog is endangered. That needs to be changed. Most populations of the wild dogs are found in southern Africa and the southern part of East Africa (mostly Tanzania and Mozambique). Even though it seems like there are plenty of wild dogs in the world, it is not true. There are only about 3,000 to 5,000 thousand of them left and they can travel in packs from ten to forty members in them. Medium-sized animals such as gazelles are hunted by African wild dogs. They are great hunters because at a sprint, one dog can reach speeds up to over 44 miles per hour. A single dog can weigh anywhere from 40 to 70 pounds, grow about 30 inches tall, and be 30 to 35 inches long. Deserts forests, and grasslands are their most commonly inhabited areas. The main threats towards the African wild dog are competition, habitat loss, and disease. Occasionally, there are both targeted and accidental killings of the wild dogs which lower the population. Habitat loss due to humans also has a great impact, along with competition with larger animals such as lions. In addition, disease like rabies and distemper are also a large reason for the population decline. It is important for these wild dogs to remain on this planet as they are a landmark of Africa’s culture.

 

If you want to help out the endangered African wild dog, visit their World Wild Life page for more information.

Well that’s a wrap, so until next time,

SVR

Vaquita

Hello everybody,

This post is going to be about the critically endangered vaquita. The vaquita is the world’s smallest porpoise (which is similar to a dolphin, but not quite one) and there are less than two hundred individuals left on the planet. FUN FACT: The vaquita was not discovered until 1958! Generally, the vaquitas are found in shallow waters along the Gulf of California, but whenever a boat nears it, the vaquita will swim away quickly. This is one of the reasons that there is not much known about them. The main reason for the animal’s decline is bycatch. This is when animals are caught in gillnets by accident and are drowned. For the population of the vaquita to recover again, it takes a lot of precautions and rules to be set down. Bycatch has to be completely eradicated in order for the species to make a comeback again, along with many other underwater animals that are harmed due to bycatch. Vaquitas are in danger of being the closest to becoming extinct from the Cetacean family (dolphins, whales, and marine mammals). It is time to pay attention to all endangered animals, even some of the uncommon ones!

For more information on how to help out the beloved and critically endangered vaquita, visit their World Wild Life page.

Well that’s a wrap, so until next time,

SVR

Great Horned Owls

Hi guys! Today let's talk about the Great Horned Owls.
 The Great Horned Owls are named for their tufts of hairs that look like horns and are pointy. To an viewer they look like ears, but in actuality, they are not. Their ears are hidden on the side of their head. Great Horned Owls are usually found on the continent of North America.  They are found in forests, wetlands, backyards, cities, grasslands, tropics, and arctic areas.

One place where you can find Great Horned Owls is in Duke Farms, a reserved area of land in Hillsborough, New Jersey. I was very lucky and fortunate to walk through a secluded area in Duke's Farms with one of the nicest and most knowledgeable people I have ever met. He is a true naturalist and his name is Mr. Michael Pollock. Mr. Pollock who works for the New Jersey Audubon had taken a large group of people on a once a year 5:00 am walking tour. This was a 4 hour walking tour of Dukes to see many varieties of rare birds and animals. When he found out that I was working towards my Girls Scouts Silver Award he volunteered to help me actually see the very hard to find nest of the Great Horned Owls. I just want to say thank you again! He told me all this information and was great at what he did. Immediately after his first tour he took me my Father and Brother on a near four hour walking tour.

Mr. Pollock was amazing he showed us so many different birds and animals that I believe no one else would have found. His knowledge was amazing but we were all impressed by his obvious love of all of the wildlife and his caring nature. After searching for many hours he pointed and showed us through his spotting scope what we had been searching for the Great Horned Owl in a tree. I really believe that very few people naturalists or not would have found them. We were all stunned by the beauty of the Great Horned Owl as he is a majestic bird.

The Great Horned Owl nest's in Duke Farms was built by Red Tailed Hawks and later taken over by the Great Horned Owls. He told us that the Owl's consume Voles (field mice), Rats, Squirrels, Bats, Skunks, opossums, and much more. Mr. Pollock even searched for a special object Owl Pellets! When you hear the word Owl Pellets you probably think of them as their poop, but they are not. Owl pellets are the indigestible parts of the animals that the Great Horned Owls eat but can't digest. they have two stomachs and what they can't digest they are vomit up after going into the first stomach. These usually include bones and fur. I am going to dissect the pellet in my next Blog with pictures of the contents.

Again I hope that everyone reading my blog has the great pleasure of meeting and talking to the very knowledgeable, caring and just super nice man, Mr. Michael Pollock.

Thanks for reading until next time!

-Lexi's Green World

American Kestrel

Hey guys! This Blog is about endangered and threatened species.  Today, we will talk about the American Kestrel.

The American Kestrel is a threatened species. The American Kestrel is a threatened species because people are cutting down the trees which is their habitat. It is not a well known fact, but American Kestrels are part of the Falcon family. The American Kestrel is the smallest Falcon in North America at 9 inches long. Some subspecies can be found in Alaska, Canada, Tierra Del Fuego, and Argentina. The American Kestrel is also known as the Sparrow Hawk. They eat Voles (field mouse), insects, small birds, and lizards. American Kestrels can be found at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Duke Farms protects the American Kestrels and many other animals that live in Dukes Farms. Duke Farms has set up nest boxes, to help them nest there. They are really beautiful birds. The males have blue-gray wings with a broad sub terminal black band and have ruffles on their tail. The males have black bands, which the females have black bars. The males have darker colors while the females have lighter colors.
Thanks for tuning in!
-Lexi's Green World

Credits: Michael Hogan /hoganphoto
American Kestrel

Mountain Gorilla

Hi everybody,

This post is going to be about the critically endangered mountain gorilla. The name “mountain” gorilla comes from the fact that they live in very highly elevated forests. These mountain forests can range from 8 to 13 thousand feet. With very long fur to keep them warm in their cold climate, these gorillas weigh up to 440 pounds and stand about five feet tall when on two legs. The main threats towards these apes are: habitat destruction, disease, charcoal production, and poaching. The poaching is not directly meant for the gorillas, but they can be hurt or killed by traps set for other animals. Inside a gorilla habitat, there is much charcoal harvested to sell and use for fuel and this has caused habitat destruction. The other habitat destruction that harms the gorillas is when humans want to move farther into their forest environment. Much land is cleared for human use, and even though some areas are protected from being destroyed, illegal settlers harm the surroundings anyway. About 880 mountain gorillas are left in the world today.

 So far, conservation efforts have been successful, but there are never too many supporters! For more info on how to help preserve them, check out the World Wild Life page on mountain gorillas

Well that’s a wrap, so until next time,

SVR

Black Rhino

Hey interested blog readers,

This post is going to be about the critically endangered black rhino. Black Rhinos are usually found in sub-Saharan Africa, the Congo Basin, and other equatorial forests of West Africa.  The Black Rhino can weigh from 2 to 3 thousand pounds and it is about five feet tall. Fun Fact: Both black and white rhinoceroses are actually gray! There are only about 4,848 Black Rhinos left, predominantly because of European hunters in the 20^th century. It was common for them to kill five or six rhinos in a day for food, or simply entertainment. It is very sad to hear that 96% of the remaining black rhinos in Africa were killed from the years 1970-1992. Poaching has increased drastically to the high demand of the rhino horns, and because there are not many Black Rhinos to take them from. Habitat destruction is still a problem for the rhinos, but not nearly as big of a threat as the poaching. Black rhinos are important because they are a source of Earth’s history. Being derived from one of the oldest groups of mammals, they are sometimes even considered to be “living fossils”. There are organizations out there that are trying to help out black rhinos, but they need your help too!

For more info on how to help the critically endangered black rhino, visit the World Wild Life page on them.

Well that’s a wrap, so until next time,

SVR