Feb. 12/2025

 

                                  
Can Horses Drink Beer?

By Amanda-Jo King, DVM

Published 10/5/ 2023

petmd.com

Yes! Horses can drink beer. It’s a long-standing tradition for many horsemen to give beer to their horses. To some it is an “old-fashioned” remedy & to others a gesture of goodwill toward their 4-legged steed. When given in moderation, giving beer to horses may offer some health benefits.

Though none of these reasons are based on scientific evidence, common reasons owners give beer to their horses include:

Treatment for certain medical conditions

Vitamin supplement

Gastrointestinal supplement

A special treat

Post-workout recovery

Does Beer Affect Horses?

Due to a horse’s size, it is unlikely that a beer a day will have a significant impact on its body. The calories & nutrients in one beer are only a small percentage of what is required for the average 1,000-pound horse. Since a beer is an insignificant amount, horsemen are merely hoping for the following benefits:

B Vitamins

Beer is a rich source of B vitamins. B vitamins are responsible for helping the body’s metabolism to function properly & generate energy, as well as, to help the body maintain a healthy skin & hair coat.

Horses that are on a good quality feeding program will produce their own B vitamins in their gastrointestinal tract through fermentation of the food they eat. While horses do not need additional B vitamins, a little extra won’t hurt. Any B vitamins the body does not need will be eliminated through the urine.

Yeast

Yeast is a vital component of beer-making. This single-celled fungus consumes sugars from the hops & barley in the beer. During this process, it produces carbon dioxide & alcohol.

One of those strains used to make beer, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is also used to formulate equine probiotics. This strain of yeast has been shown to help stabilize the equine hindgut & may be useful in medical cases of colitis. It may also be used as a supplement to promote a healthy gut.

Before we get too excited about the benefits of yeast in beer, remember that most commercial beers are filtered & pasteurized. Due to this, the helpful live yeast is no longer present in the actual beer. You may be able to find an unfiltered beer for your horse; but there is no guarantee that there will be enough live yeast present to make an impact on your horses’ large digestive tract.

Barley

Beer is made of grains, & grains are delicious to horses. Many horses do enjoy the taste of beer & may even show preference for which ones they drink. If your horse is a known beer-drinker, you may add a little to their bucket of water, especially when dehydration is of concern, like when traveling, enduring strenuous exercise, or during cold winter days when horses are not as interested in drinking. This is one of the most useful reasons to give your horse a beer.

Hops

Hops are the flower part of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus). Hops add a bitterness, aroma, & flavor to beer. Equine researchers at the University of  Kentucky have been investigating the potential for hops to control gastrointestinal imbalances as well as in helping prevent pasture laminitis.

Research is still in the early stages, & even if hops were found to be a treatment for this disease, beer would not be the best source for them. Additionally, it is important to note that while hops have been fed to farm animals in small proportions, they are toxic to dogs; so it is best to be careful about having them around the barn where a neighborly canine may get into them. 

Alcohol

Unlike humans, horses cannot easily get drunk from beer. Horses produce an enzyme in their liver called alcohol dehydrogenase. This enzyme is good at converting the alcohol in beer to simple sugars for the body to absorb. Furthermore, a horse would have to drink a lot of beer to get drunk since their bodies are so big.

Why Do Farmers Give Horses Beer?

Many racehorses & performance horses are often given a beer after an event or race. Since beer is a good source of carbohydrates, iron, & vitamins that can be useful to help muscles recover from strenuous exercise, their trainers believe it promotes better recovery. It is also a tasteful treat for a job well done. Research is still ongoing as to what, if any, health benefits beer provides for horses.

Can Beer Help Horses Sweat?

Maybe. Anhidrosis is a potentially life-threatening condition seen in horses that live in hot, humid climates. This is a condition where the horse does not sweat. Horses with anhidrosis typically have an increased breathing rate & noticeable lack of sweat after exercising or being in the heat.

Sweating is a horse’s predominant method of cooling themselves. If they cannot sweat, they run the risk of developing heat stroke, which could lead to organ failure & death. What causes these horses to stop sweating is unknown & there is no proven treatment to get them to start sweating again. The most reliable way to get them help is to move them to a cooler environment. Since changing a horse’s environment or moving them is not always possible, equine scientists are trying to find a medication to treat them. 

One such method of treatment is to give them a beer a day. Unfortunately, using beer as a treatment for anhidrosis has not been scientifically proven.

Occasionally a horse that is given a regimen of a beer a day will start sweating again, but it is impossible to say whether they are responding to the beer, some other change in their environment, or whether the anhidrosis has resolved on its own.

Determining what percentage of horses may respond to this treatment is also impossible since there are no controlled studies or large surveys of equine veterinarians recording the use of beer as a treatment for anhidrosis.  Instead, it is often offered as an “old-fashioned remedy” that may or may not work.

Since there is no known harm in giving your horse a beer a day, & there is the potential to treat a severe disease, most veterinarians will agree to giving it a try.

What Kind of Beer Can Horses Drink?

Horses can drink almost any type of beer. Most fans of the idea recommend a dark, stout beer made with hops, barley, & yeast.

An unfiltered & unpasteurized beer will have more beneficial active yeast cultures & more B vitamins than a pasteurized one.

Light beers are generally not recommended as they are often made with rice, which is not as appetizing or nutritious as barley.

The best way to share a beer with your horse is to either mix it in the feed or water, or just pour it into a bucket to drink. If you are going to mix it in their water, make sure clean, fresh water is also available as an alternative.

How Much Beer Can Horses Drink?

If you are going to give your horse beer, do so in moderation. One to 2 beers a week would be suggested & certainly no more than one beer a day is recommended. Too much could have the potential for adverse side effects like weight gain & an upset gastrointestinal tract.

Also, one beer is not known to cause a positive drug test, but check with your local sports governing organization before taking your horse to a competition. As always, seek the advice of your veterinarian before giving anything to your horse.

Beer is best used as an occasional treat or to entice your horse to eat or drink in specific circumstances. Other proposed reasons to give your horse beer are mostly based on wishful thinking.

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Feb. 5/2025

                             

Happy Chinese Year of the Snake

A San Francisco Airport Site Is Crawling With Snakes—& That’s a Good Thing

by Ashley Stimpson

7/ 27/ 2021

A San Francisco Airport Site Is Crawling With Snakes—And That's a Good Thing - Atlas Obscura

During a typical year, some 55 million people pass through San Francisco International (SFO), the nation’s 7th busiest airport. At some point during their journey to or from the terminal, each one of them will travel by a seemingly unremarkable 180-acre parcel of land, soggy & spartan, bounded by highways & train tracks, bisected by rows of power lines. It may look like any other overgrown vacant lot, but this one is home to the world’s largest population of the strikingly beautiful & highly endangered San Francisco garter snake. A recent study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the presence of approximately 1,300 snakes at SFO’s West of Bayshore property—it’s the greatest concentration ever recorded.

The data represents a hard-won victory for Natalie Reeder, who has been working to keep the site snake-friendly for more than a dozen years, first as a consultant & now as the SFO airport biologist. She says airports usually hire scientists like her to keep animals out; her job is to make them stay. Reeder & her team are responsible for managing the “kind of nasty” West of Bayshore lot in an attempt to support the resplendent but reclusive snake.

Simply put, the San Francisco garter snake is a stunner. Famed herpetologist & guidebook author Robert Stebbins—a man who had seen a lot of snakes—once deemed it “the most beautiful serpent in North America.” Though it appears ostentatious, wearing bold stripes of turquoise & red down the length of its 4-foot-long body, the snake is notoriously introverted, quick to flee, & hard to capture. This has made getting an accurate census of them difficult.

What conservationists have long known, however, is that the snake is in trouble. Endemic only to the San Francisco Peninsula, the showy creature has seen its wetland habitats filled in by farm fields or paved over by urban sprawl. Its primary food source, the California red-legged frog, has declined for the same reasons. Even when it could find suitable territory, the snake wasn’t safe. Prized for its exquisite colors, the reptile is a popular target for poachers & collectors.

These threats landed the San Francisco garter snake on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) very first endangered species list, published in 1967, though it would take the agency nearly 2 decades to draft a recovery plan for the animal. That 1985 document established West of Bayshore as one of the snake’s last remaining refuges & called for a moratorium on development there. (Just in time, too: Reeder says plans for a subdivision were in the works.) For 23 years, the land remained largely untouched, protected but neglected, filling up with invasive plants & harmful industrial runoff from the surrounding areas.

In 2008, after an unscientific but worrying population survey, SFO got serious about the snakes. They partnered with the USFWS to create an updated recovery strategy for the San Francisco garter snake & the animal most integral to its survival, the California red-legged frog, making plans to address concerns such as water quality, vegetative cover, & pollution. That’s where Natalie Reeder came in.

Since then, her team has worked to rebuild the snake’s Goldilocks-esque dream home—not too wet, not too dry, open banks for basking in the sun, but thick cattails for cover from predators. They built rainfed ponds, deepened existing wetlands, & cleared overgrown drainage canals, efforts that benefited both snake & frog. Instead of mowing a firebreak each summer—exposing the soft animals to potentially lethal blades & tractor tires—they brought in hundreds of goats to clear the land.

Reeder says that SFO also “beefed up security,” reinforcing the lot with gates & fences to protect habitat & prevent illegal collection.

Invasive plants looking for a toehold at the site will always be an issue, &, thanks to the surrounding impervious surfaces, Reeder & her team will likely never be able to insulate West of Bayshore from urban & industrial runoff. But the ecological improvements & increased security seemed to have tipped conditions there in the snake’s favor.

“It’s really encouraging that [the snakes] can exist among such a high level of urban density,” says Brian Halstead, a USGS wildlife biologist & one of the authors of the study. He & his colleagues spent 2 years surveying the population & genetic variation of the snakes at the 7 sites where they’re known to live. While the team had good news to report at SFO, they found less encouraging data elsewhere.

For one thing, populations at 4 of the sites surveyed were precariously low, with fewer than an estimated 100 snakes. Additionally, all 7 sites are geographically isolated from one another, scattered around the peninsula, preventing the movement of snakes to & from neighboring locations & possibly degrading genetic diversity. Halsted says that improving connectivity will be important for the snakes’ long-term prognosis, including possibly creating translocation or captive breeding programs.

With 1,300 individuals on the 180-acre site, Reeder thinks West of Bayshore “could be at carrying capacity,” for the snake. To prevent overpopulation & improve genetic diversity at other sites, she believes that, one way or another, “some of these snakes are going to have to start moving.” The USGS study also noted that the West of Bayshore property could be an ideal source population to provide other sites with an infusion of new snakes.

While Reeder calls the low population counts at other locations, “pretty scary,” she worries most about the impacts of climate change. She says the airport is updating its infrastructure as a buffer against sea level rise, but that the land at West of Bayshore is low-lying & particularly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, which would be fatal to the California red-legged frog. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the state’s increasingly long & intense droughts could prove catastrophic for both species & the wet places they need to survive.

More than snakes & frogs depend on West of Bayshore: Thanks to the enhancements by Reeder & her team, the site has enticed a bevy of other wildlife. The San Francisco garter snake now shares its home with 2 other snake species, the gopher snake & the yellow-bellied racer, as well as deer, foxes, birds, & thousands of invertebrates, demonstrating what is possible, Reeder says, if animals “have a little space & a little food.”

Reeder hopes that the explosion of life in this one, weedy lot might inspire people throughout the peninsula & beyond to support the protection of urban open spaces, no matter how small or unsightly they are.

“Nature isn’t a place you go to,” she says. “Nature is right here, even in some of the most industrial, commercial areas.”

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Jan. 29/2025

                               

Endangered Animals List With Pictures & Interesting Facts Part 3

https://www.activewild.com/list-of-endangered-animals/?utm_source=brevo&utm_campaign=AW%20Newsletter%2028&utm_medium=email

Green Eyed Bushfrog

Scientific name: Raorchestes chlorosomma

Type of animal: Amphibian

Where found: Asia

The green-eyed bushfrog is a critically endangered amphibian found in evergreen forests on the slopes of the Western Ghats mountain range in India.

Unlike many frogs, the green-eyed bushfrog (& other frogs of genus Raorchestes) skips the tadpole stage of its development, hatching directly from its egg as a frog.

Why Are Green Eyed Bushfrogs Endangered?

The green-eyed bushfrog is endangered due to habitat loss caused by plantations of crops such as tea &  eucalyptus.

Green Sea Turtle

Scientific name: Chelonia mydas

Type of animal: Reptile

Where found: Tropical & Subtropical Oceans Worldwide

The green sea turtle is one of 7 living species of sea turtle, & one of 6 in the family Cheloniidae (the “odd one out” is the leatherback sea turtle, which is in the family Dermochelyidae).

The green sea turtle is found in tropical & subtropical waters all around the world. It is a migratory species, swimming between its feeding & nesting sites. These journeys take some individuals over 1,600 mi / 2,600 km.

Why are green sea turtles endangered?

Threats to the green sea turtle include the harvesting of both eggs & turtles by humans from the turtle’s nesting grounds, & the accidental capture of turtles in nets & long lines meant for fish.

Human development of the turtle’s traditional nesting sites has also played a part in the green sea turtle’s endangered status.

Grey Parrot

Scientific name: Psittacus erithacus

Type of animal: Bird

Where found: Africa

The grey parrot, despite being a popular pet, is endangered in the wild. The species is found in tropical forests in Africa. It is primarily frugivorous (fruit-eating).

The grey parrot is one of the most intelligent birds, & is able to mimic the human voice & other environmental sounds.

Why are grey parrots endangered?

The primary threat to the grey parrot is the capture of wild birds for sale to the pet industry. Deforestation is also playing a part in the bird’s decline.

Humphead Wrasse

Scientific name: Cheilinus undulatus

Type of animal: Fish

Where found: Indo-Pacific

The humphead wrasse, also known as the giant wrasse, is a coral reef fish that lives in the Indo-Pacific (an area that combines the Indian Ocean, & the western & central Pacific Ocean).

Male humphead wrasses grow to lengths of up to 6.56 ft / 2m; females are substantially smaller. Like all wrasses, some females – usually the largest – turn into males. This process is known as “protogynous hermaphroditism”.

The humphead wrasse’s “hump” – the bulge on its forehead – gets bigger as the fish gets older.

Why are humphead wrasses endangered?

The humphead wrasse is considered a delicacy in several Asian countries  is heavily hunted as a result.

Iberian Lynx

Scientific name: Lynx pardinus

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: Europe (Spain)

The Iberian Lynx is a member of the cat family Felidae native to the Iberian Peninsula. It is notably smaller than its cousin the Eurasian lynx, with a body length ranging from around 69 to 82 cm / 27 to 32 inches.

Like other lynxes (the group is also home to the Eurasian lynx, Canada lynx, & bobcat), the Iberian Lynx has a distinctive short tail, tufted ears, & beard-like facial ruff.

This elusive carnivore primarily preys on rabbits & inhabits Mediterranean forests & scrublands.

Sadly, the Iberian Lynx is one of the world's most endangered cat species, facing threats from habitat loss & a declining European rabbit population. Due to conservation projects, however, the population of this endangered cat is slowly increasing.

Why Is The Iberian Lynx Endangered?

The Iberian lynx is endangered due to scarcity of its main prey, the European rabbit (another endangered animal), & habitat loss.

Majorcan Midwife Toad

Scientific name: Alytes muletensis

Type of animal: Amphibian

Where found: Majorca

The Majorcan midwife toad is an endangered amphibian found only on the Spanish island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea.

After fertilizing strings of eggs produced by the female, the male Majorcan midwife toad carries them on his back for protection. When the eggs are ready to hatch, he deposits them in a suitable body of shallow water. The Majorcan midwife toad is one of several species of “midwife” toads in which this behavior is seen.

Why are Majorcan midwife toads endangered?

The main threat to the Majorcan midwife toad is competition from non-native species that have been introduced to the island. These include the Viperine Snake (Natrix maura) & Perez's Frog (Rana perezi).

Marine Otter

Scientific name: Lontra felina

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: South America

The marine otter is one of 2 otters found in saltwater habitats, the other being the sea otter. Whereas the sea otter is almost fully aquatic, spending much of its life in the sea, the marine otter is semi-aquatic, dividing its time between the land & water.

One of the smallest otters, the marine otter reaches lengths of up to 115 cm / 43.3 in. It lives on the shore in areas with abundant seaweed, & prefers rocky areas with caves for shelter.

The main threat to the marine otter is habitat loss due to urban development of its habitat & competition with small-scale fisheries for food.

Okapi

Scientific name: Okapia johnstoni

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: Africa

The okapi lives deep in the rainforests of Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country in central Africa.

Despite looking like a cross between a zebra & a deer, the okapi is actually one of 2 species in the family Giraffidae. The other species in the family, & the okapi’s closest relation in the animal kingdom, is the giraffe.

The stripes on an okapi’s legs & hind quarters act as camouflage, helping to break up the okapi’s outline as it moves through trees & foliage.

Why are okapis endangered?

The main threat to the okapi is deforestation. The species is also hunted for its meat & skin.

Puritan Tiger Beetle

Scientific name: Cicindela puritana

Type of animal: Insect

Where found: North America

The puritan tiger beetle is a species of tiger beetle found in a limited number of locations along the Chesapeake Bay & Connecticut River in the northwestern United States.

Tiger beetles are beetles in the subfamily Cicindelinae. They are known for their predatory habits & ability to run at high speeds.

Why are puritan tiger beetles endangered?

The puritan tiger beetle’s population is threatened by natural changes & human disturbance to its natural habitat.

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

Scientific name: Ornithoptera alexandrae

Type of animal: Insect

Where found: Asia

The Queen Alexandra's birdwing is the world’s largest butterfly species. The female, which is larger but less colorful than the male, has a maximum wingspan of around 11 in. / 28 cm.

This endangered butterfly is found only in the rainforest of the Oro Province in Papua New Guinea. It was discovered by English naturalist Albert Stewart Meek, & named after Alexandra of Denmark, wife of King-Emperor Edward VII of Britain.

Why is the Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly endangered?

The Queen Alexandra's birdwing has become endangered due to deforestation. The forests in which it is found are being destroyed to make way for plantations of crops such as oil palm.

Red Hills Salamander

Scientific name: Phaeognathus hubrichti

Type of animal: Amphibian

Where found: North America

Found in only 2 small regions of Alabama, United States, the Red Hills salamander is a mid to large gray/brown salamander that grows to lengths of around 10 in / 25.4 cm. The species is the state amphibian of Alabama.

Why are Red Hills salamanders endangered?

The Red Hills salamander is found mainly on land owned by private timber companies. Forestry techniques used by the companies are often detrimental to the species.

Projects aimed to reverse the amphibian’s decline include acquisition of land by The Nature Conservancy, an American non-profit organization. 

Red Panda

Scientific name: Ailurus fulgens

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: Asia

The red panda is found in temperate forests on the slopes of the Himalayas in Asia. Despite its name, the red panda is not a bear; its closest relatives in the animal kingdom are the mustelids (members of the weasel family).

The red panda mainly eats bamboo, supplementing its diet with other plant material & small animals & eggs. Due to its low-energy bamboo-based diet, the red panda spends most of its life either eating or sleeping.

Why are red pandas endangered?

The main threat to the red panda is habitat loss, due to a growing human population in its natural habitat, & deforestation.

Sea Otter

Scientific name: Enhydra lutris

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: North Pacific Ocean

The sea otter is the heaviest mustelid (member of the weasel family Mustelidae) but one of the smallest marine mammals. It has the thickest fur of any animal. It relies on its fur for insulation, as, unlike most other marine mammals, it lacks a layer of blubber.

The sea otter is known for its rafting behavior, in which between 10 & 100 sea otters float on their backs on the surface of the ocean, often anchoring themselves to kelp to prevent themselves from drifting.

Why are sea otters endangered?

Threats to the sea otter include oil spills & accidental capture in fishing nets.

Secretarybird

Scientific name: Sagittarius serpentarius

Type of animal: Bird

Where found: Africa

The secretarybird (also known as the secretary bird) is a large, long-legged bird of prey found in grasslands & savannas in sub-Saharan Africa. Although it can fly, the species is mainly terrestrial (land-living). It spends most of the day on the ground & roosts in trees at night.

The secretarybird hunts on foot. Its prey includes insects & small vertebrates, including mice, mongooses, & lizards. The secretarybird is famous for its ability to prey on venomous snakes such as cobras & adders.

Why are secretarybirds endangered?

Like many endangered animals, the main threat to the secretarybird is habitat loss caused by farming &  urbanization.

South Asian River Dolphins

Scientific name: Platanista gangetica (Ganges River dolphin); Platanista minor (Indus River dolphin)

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: Asia

Previously considered to be subspecies of a single species, the Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica) & Indus River dolphin (Platanista minor) are now considered to be separate species. Both species of South Asian river dolphins are endangered.

Like other cetaceans (the animal group that is home to all whales, dolphins, & porpoises) Asian river dolphins are aquatic mammals, although unlike most other members of this group, south Asian river dolphins live in freshwater, rather than marine, habitats.

The south Asian river dolphins are almost entirely blind (although their eyes may be able to detect changes in light) & hunt using echolocation. (The murky waters in which the dolphins live deem normal eyesight unnecessary.)

Why are south Asian river dolphins endangered?

Dams & other manmade obstructions in the rivers in which South Asian river dolphins live have caused the species’ populations to become fragmented. The structures have also had a negative effect on the dolphins' habitat & food supply. Pollution & gillnetting are additional factors in the species’ endangered status.

Southern Plains Bumblebee

Scientific name: Bombus fraternus

Type of animal: Insect

Where found: North America

The southern plains bumblebee is an endangered bumblebee species found in the southeastern United States. It can be identified by the black band at the rear of its mainly pale yellow thorax, the pale yellow & black coloration of the front & rear of its abdomen respectively, & the “flat”, rather than “fluffy” appearance of its short hair.

Plants on which the southern plains bumblebee feeds on include milkweeds, prairie clovers, cassias, & blazing stars.

Why are southern plains bumblebees endangered?

The main threat to the southern plains bumblebee is the conversion of its native grassland habitat into fields for crops.

Steppe Eagle

Scientific name: Aquila nipalensis

Type of animal: Bird

Where found: Asia

The Steppe eagle is a large bird of prey native to the Eurasian steppes. It is one of 14 “true eagles” of genus Aquila.

The Steppe eagle is a large raptor, with a body length of 62 to 81 cm / 24.5 to 32 inches & a wingspan reaching up to 2.2 meters / 7.22 ft.

This endangered bird is distinguished by its brown plumage, darker on the wings & tail, & a lighter, often streaked, underbelly. Its powerful hooked beak & sharp talons are typical of eagles & other predatory birds.

The Steppe eagle's keen eyesight is adapted for spotting prey over vast open landscapes. It primarily feeds on small mammals & carrion. These migratory birds are notable for their long flights, traveling great distances between breeding & wintering grounds.

Why Is The Steppe Eagle Endangered?

The Steppe eagle is endangered due to habitat loss, electrocution from power lines, & poisoning from rodent-control poisons.

Tasmanian Devil

Scientific name: Sarcophilus harrisii

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: Australia

The Tasmanian devil is the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial. It is a member of the family Dasyuridae, which also contains the quolls & other mainly carnivorous / insectivorous marsupials.

Most wild Tasmanian devils are found on the Australian island state of Tasmania. A small number have recently been reintroduced onto the Australian mainland.

The Tasmanian devil gets its name for its terrifying night-time screeches & aggressive feeding behavior.

Why are Tasmanian devils endangered?

The Tasmanian devil is endangered due to the spread of Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), which has caused a large decline in the species’ population.

Tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris

Type of animal: Mammal

Where found: Asia

The tiger is the largest member of the cat family Felidae. Despite being one of the world’s most recognizable animals, the tiger’s wild population consists of under 3,200 adult individuals. Most wild tigers are found in southern Asia, although a separate population exists in Siberia.

Tigers are able to live in a wide range of habitats, including both tropical & boreal forests.

Why are tigers endangered?

The tiger is endangered primarily due to poaching & deforestation. Despite its protected status, the tiger is still illegally hunted, both for its hide & for other body parts, which are used in traditional Asian medicine.

Tiger Chameleon

Scientific name: Archaius tigris

Type of animal: Reptile

Where found: The Seychelles

The tiger chameleon is an endangered reptile found only on the Seychelles, an African island country in the Indian Ocean. The species is around 6.3 in / 16 cm in length, & has a distinctive cluster of spiky growths on its chin. It hunts insects using its extendable sticky tongue.

Why are tiger chameleons endangered?

The main threat to the tiger chameleon is the introduction of the non-native tree, Cinnamomum verum, which is dominating native species.

Whale Shark

Scientific name: Rhincodon typus

Type of animal: Fish

Where found: Tropical oceans worldwide

The whale shark, which reaches lengths of up to 62 ft. / 18.8 m, is the world’s largest fish species.

Unlike all but 2 of the over 500 other species of sharks, the whale shark it is a filter feeder. (The other 2 filter-feeding sharks are the basking shark, which is also endangered, & the megamouth shark, which is not currently threatened.)

Despite its great size, the whale shark diet consists of plankton – small organisms that drift in the water.

The whale shark is usually found near the surface of the ocean, but is known to dive to depths of 1.2 miles / 1.928 km.

Why are whale sharks endangered?

The whale shark is endangered due to hunting (both targeted & accidental). It is also the victim of vessel strikes.

Whooping Crane

Scientific name: Grus americana

Type of animal: Bird

Where found: North America

The whooping crane is a long-necked, long-legged bird whose white plumage distinguishes it from the much more common sandhill crane (whose plumage is generally grey-brown). It is the tallest, & one of the heaviest, birds of North America.

The wild population of whooping cranes currently numbers around 250 adult individuals (due to recent breeding successes this number may actually be substantially larger). Most spend summers in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park, & overwinter in wetlands in Texas, USA.

The species is named for its extremely loud whooping call.

Why are whooping cranes endangered?

The whooping crane became an endangered species due to overhunting & habitat loss. Today its recovery is affected by collisions with powerlines, drought, & development of its natural habitat.

Endangered Animals List: Conclusion & Credits

Sources of information for this page include the International Union for Conservation of Nature & the IUCN RedList.

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