The Rare Amphibians on Earth

Posted by on October 18, 2011 Comments Off
What’s an endangered animal and are there amphibians that fall under this category? The answer to the first question would be animals that are dwindling in population so much so that they could become rare or extinct. Thinking about what’s an endangered animal also brings to mind certain amphibians that are considered rare not necessarily because they are endangered but because they are elusive and know how to escape detection and traps.

 

 

To the second question, there are many amphibians in the Red List which refers to animals that are critically endangered and some of these rare amphibians are the Chinese Giant Salamander, the Purple Frog, the South African Ghost frog, the olm, the Mexican lungless salamander, Chile’s Darwin frog, and the Gardiner’s Seychelles frog.The Chinese giant salamander is huge! It grows up to 1.8 meters in length and is believed to be one of the oldest species evolving from the Tyrannosaurus Rex of decades ago. It’s still around but in such small numbers to be on the verge of extinction.

The purple frog was first discovered in 2003 in West India. It is extremely difficult to find much more catch and scientists believe that it is either on the brink of extinction or can bury itself deep into the ground for most of the year, thereby eluding humans from seeing them.

The South African ghost frog is in dire need of intervention. The reason it is being threatened with extinction is because humans have been invading its territory. Progress dictates to government agencies that land must be developed. Unfortunately, it is happening at the expense of animals like this ghost frog.

The olm is a blind salamander that also is transparent and clear. Strangely it is becoming extinct because of our use of its habitat. This amphibian can survive without food for 10 years! Obviously, it’s struggling because it cannot survive without its home.

The other amphibians are at risk because of lack of protection and loss of natural habitat. The problems are caused by the same things and so unless something is done to change the way we have to progress, then animals will always be under threat of extinction.

 

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.
What's an endangered animal?

The Killer Bees of Africa: Don’t Mess Around With These Fellas

Posted by on October 14, 2011 Comments Off
Unlike the bees we see buzzing in and out of our garden, killer bees from Africa are the kind of bees that can do much harm. Technically, this name came from a hybrid of African bees that were brought to the jungles of Brazil and allowed to mate with European honeybees. This was in 1956 and the people behind this project thought that it would increase honey production for Brazil. The hybrid bees did manage to produce more honey but at the same time, it caused a much bigger problem – the Africanized honeybee a.k.a. killer bees.
Now what? All the money made from the honey will never replace human life. They attack as a group which leaves its victims defenseless and without any means of escape. Even the slightest noise or disturbance can trigger an attack. With more than 1,000 people dead from killer bees, a solution has yet to be found. The men behind the 1956 project should be held accountable for this tragic fiasco.Even more terrifying is the fact that these killer bees have begun to migrate to other places like Mexico. In October of 1990, the same killer bees were detected crossing the border between Mexico and the United States.

Today, killer bees have been spotted in Nevada, New Mexico, California, and Texas. Their migration appears to be moving north which means most of the rest of the country.
How to Recognize Killer Bees

Here’s a big problem – it’s hard to differentiate normal garden-variety bees with the killer bees. They look identical. Their difference lies in how they travel. Killer bees are generally in clusters especially when they attack. Any movement is considered a threat and they will retaliate until their victim is dead. They are even known to travel far in pursuit of their victims. One can usually find them in canals, ditches, and water basins. They obviously love water and the Queen killer bee lays up to 1,500 eggs a day. It’s your horror story come true with no potential end yet in sight.