Disappearing Animals-African wild mammals are among the most endangered species: Cheetah, Elephant, Chimpanzee, Leopards, and many others.

Boss Man

Everyone naturally thinks pink when it comes to flamingos. However, a new born flamingo is white with soft, downy feathers and perfectly straight bill. The young are raised by both parents who know their chick’s voice. The young leave the nest in about five days to join a group of other young flamingos, returning “home” at meal time.

While flamingos are an abundant bird species, they are threatened by habitat loss due to mineral mining, human disturbance and global warming. Huge numbers of flamingos are dying in the Rift Valley, which may be from bacteria and toxins caused by industrial pollution.

Another issue worrying researchers is global warming’s affect on mating season. Global warming reduces the chance of rain in many parts of the world.

Rainfall plays a significant role in mating. Rain means an abundance of food as lagoons and other locations fill with water. Rain provides the necessary mud required for the nests where flamingoes lay eggs. No mud—no nest. Flamingos mate in masse, meaning the entire Flamboyance (group) will mate all at once—if there is enough rain for food and mud.

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Who Put That There?

Of the three species of Elephant, the African elephant is the largest land animal on earth. The African elephant is easily recognized by its larger ears..

Multiple family groups, which do not include males, are known to gather together to socialize. A family is led by a matriarch, the oldest female. The calves are cared for and protected by their mothers for up to three years old. The male (bull) leaves the family after reaching puberty to live alone or occasionally with other males.

Elephants, according to many ethologists, are one of most intelligent animals on earth. They have exhibited a wide range of behavioral traits such as grief, altruism, compassion, co-operation, self-awareness, using tools, and communication. Elephants communicate through touch, sight, sound and smell.

Unfortunately dire predictions say elephants will soon be extinct. Despite an international ban on the ivory trade, elephants are being slaughtered by the tens of thousands each year for their tusks. The estimated number of elephants killed exceeds the natural population growth, meaning elephants are dying faster than they can reproduce.

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Peek A Boo

The hippopotamus, world’s third largest land animal, lives in the water by day, leaving at dusk to feed on grass. Even though they have webbed feet and basically live in the water—they cannot swim. What they can do is hold their breath for up to five minutes and walk on the river bottom giving them the nickname of river horse.

Hippos, with sharp teeth, can crush a human or predator with ease and are unpredictable and extremely aggressive making them one of the most dangerous animals in the world. In 2014, a Nigerian boat carrying thirteen people was capsized by a single hippo who killed all thirteen. An estimated five hundred people are killed each year by hippos.

Although not on the endangered list, they are considered vulnerable. Habitat loss and poaching are happening at an alarming rate. When someone hears poaching of African mammals, it usually brings to mind elephants and rhinos. The hippo’s front teeth are made of ivory, which are harder and more durable than elephant ivory.

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Owl Eys

Great honed owls can hear sounds at frequencies humans cannot. The facial disc, concave feathers surrounding the eyes, acts as a “radar dish” to collect sound waves and send them to the ears. Owls can tell the difference of as little as 00003 seconds between the left and right ear. That information builds a metal picture their surrounding.

Determining the difference between what is heard by each ear, owls can pinpoint the exact location, direction and speed of their prey, and use the information to adjust the flight path to intercept prey.

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Kerchak

Gorillas laugh, grieve, have strong family bonds, make and use tools and think about the past and future. But yet they are an endangered species.

In the wild a gorilla's only enemy is the leopard. Yet their most dangerous enemy is man. Although illegal, it is estimated thousands of are killed, butchered, and eaten on the spot. Poachers also smoke the meat and sell to urban centers. Body parts are sold for medicine and magical charms. Loss of habitat to mining, logging, farming and disease, Ebola, are rapidly reducing the gorilla population.

For twenty years Dian Fossey studied gorillas in Rwanda. Spending each day in the presence of gorillas in the wild.She strongly opposed poaching. Fossey was murdered in her remote cabin after the killing of a gorilla.

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Tree Frog

Frog myths are as old as humans. One widely held superstition was the Toad Stone. It was supposed to be a jewel found inside a toad’s head. When placed in a ring or necklace, the jewel would heat up or change color when it detected poison, which protected the wearer from evil doers. Now frogs need protection from an evil doer.

Frogs are disappearing. Since the 1970s some 200 frog species became extinct. Fifty years ago a deadly fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) started among the frog population. The fungus thickens the skin, reducing the ability to absorb water and oxygen which leads to heart failure. The rate of decline in the frog population is astonishing.

Frogs are important to the environment in many ways, but they also act as canaries, providing an early warning system for endangered ecosystems. When exposed to pollution or environmental changes frogs are the first fatalities.

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That Looks Tasty

Lions once roamed throughout Africa, but now occupy only 8% of their former territory. Without the vast stretches of savanna grasslands that were once their hunting grounds, lions are struggling to survive. As lions and humans are pushed closer together, the lions venture into villages for food. The villagers kill the lions to protect the livestock.

Trophy hunters pay thousands of dollars to hunt and kill lions at an alarming rate. Disease in South Africa has devastated the lion population.

It is estimated 80% of the remaining lions could be gone by 2030.

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Tastes Like Chicken

Mandrills, largest of all monkeys, live only in the rain forests of equatorial Africa. Perhaps the most colorful mammal, they are easily recognized by the blue and red faces. Mandrills communicate by facial expression, body language, gestures, and vocalization. They even develop and pass on new gestures.

Mandrills are classified as vulnerable as its numbers declined approximately 30 percent since 1978. There may be fewer than 4,000 remaining. Deforestation and hunting are decimating the population. Destruction of the forest allows easy access resulting in large scale hunting. Bushmeat is in great demand for the growing African population and in Europe where it is considered a delicacy.

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Looking For A Sign?—Honorable Mention

Lemur mating ritual is unique. Living in social groups of 20 or 30 individuals, competition for a mate during breeding season can get fierce. However, no physical altercations with the possibility of injury takes place. Instead the lemur prefers the stink fight.

Two lemurs face off and each pulls his tail across two different scent glands—wrist and shoulder. They then wave their tails at one another until one of them backs off. The opponent might give up quickly, but some stink fights last up to an hour. The female chooses the male with the stinkiest tail.

Lemurs have the unfortunate distinction of being the endangered mammal most threatened with extinction.

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Hi There—Third Place

Zebras live in family groups with strong bonds over many years. If a zebra is separated from the family, the rest search for the missing member.

The natural habitat for the plains Zebra has been preserved allowing for a sizable population in the wild. However, the other two species are seriously threatened with extinction.

The mountain zebra lives in regions of guerrilla warfare and are slaughtered for meat. The Grévy's zebra population has dropped from an estimated 5,800 in the 1980s to 2,800. The Grévy’s are not only being hunted into extinction, serious loss of habitat by human expansion is taking its toll

Third Place 2015 Birmingham Zoo

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Old Man of the Forest

Orangutans currently only live in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. They are among the most intelligent primates, make extensive use of tools, and are close relatives of humans. They use sticks to get termites, ants or bees from tree holes. Orangutans have been observed using leaves for making gloves before handling prickly fruit.

Deforestation for logging and creating plantations to produce palm oil has resulted in a serious loss of habitat. In a recent 16 year period, an estimated 100,000 were lost.


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