2 Arizona endangered species up for review

Federal officials Tuesday rejected a request to remove the acuna cactus from the endangered species list, but said they will give further consideration to a petition to delist the Southwestern willow flycatcher.

Those were two of eight species in Arizona that were part of a batch of preliminary decisions released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on 29 species across the country.

The service said there was enough evidence to advance 16 of the 29 to a “rigorous” 12-month review process to see which ones will be added to, stay on or fall off the list.

“The petition is the first step in evaluating whether something warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act,” said Jeff Humphrey, a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman for the Southwest region.

Six species in Arizona did not make the cut for further consideration – which is what saved the acuna cactus – but the service said it will review the petition to add the Western bumblebee to the endangered list.

Acuna cactus stays on endangered list

Tierra Curry, senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, said it’s not surprising that the acuna cactus will stay on the list, noting that climate change has made the desert hotter and drier. The cactus was only recently added by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2013, when the known population of the small, barrel-shaped plants had dwindled to just 3,600.

The acuna cactus was added to the Endangered Species List in 2013, by which time its numbers has dwindled to about 3,600 plants, documents say.  (Photo: Barry Rice)

Curry said the Center for Biological Diversity was “definitely going to oppose” the delisting of the Southwestern willow flycatcher during an upcoming public comments period. The bird that has been listed as endangered since 1995.

The Fish and Wildlife Service said it received a petition from multiple groups seeking to delist the bird, and decided that there were substantial challenges to the bird’s scientific classification that merited another look. The flycatcher is found in the Southwest and breeds in trees and shrubs by rivers, swamps and wetlands, according to the service.

“I think that’s definitely a bad decision,” Curry said of the plan to move forward on the flycatcher.

“Rivers in the Southwest have never been more threatened,” she added, noting dropping water levels and high demands from a growing human population.

The requests on the cactus and the flycatcher were the only ones to delist species in Arizona – the other six all sought to put plants, animals or insects on the list.

Western bumblebee might be endangered

The service rejected five of those six, but agreed to consider the petition for the Western bumblebee. The bee was once one of the most common bumblebee species, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, but its populations have declined in the past 20 to 30 years, especially in the West.

The service said there were substantial findings that disease, pesticide use and climate change, among other factors, have impacted the species.

Petitioners sought emergency listings for the Arizona wetsalts tiger beetle and the MacDougal’s yellowtops shrub, amid fears that proposed development near the Grand Canyon threatened to destroy their habitat. But the development was rejected, putting the beetle and shrub out of harm’s way, Curry said.

She said that the service’s decision to not move forward on petitions for two lizards and a silkmoth was likely due to inadequate information to prove they were threatened.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has been deciding the fate of more and more petitions in batches in the past two years in an effort to increase efficiency, Humphrey said. Additionally, environmental and advocacy groups have been filing petitions in batches, he said.

He said the service is trying to release results three or four times a year, with the next set of petition decisions likely to be released around May.

Orangutans interbreeding in Indonesia are threatening the already endangered species

Endangered species such as orangutans are often taken to sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres across the globe, with the ultimate aim being to reintroduce them into the wild.

But it appears that reintroducing these endangered species can sometimes have unwanted effects.

A group of researchers has discovered that a non-native subspecies released into a national park in Indonesia has since bred with the park's apes - creating a hybrid the scientists dubbed 'cocktail'.

Orangutans are the two exclusively Asian species of extant great apes.

Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, they are currently found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.

When the orangutans were first taken to the Camp Leakey in the Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia, in 1971, it was thought all orangutans were the same species.

It has only been since 1985, after around 90 of the great apes were released into the park, that advances in genetic studies have revealed two different species of orangutan – Bornean and Sumatran.

Orangutan subspecies diverged 176,000 years ago, according to researchers, and breeding between the two subspecies could have negative impacts on the populations of the great apes that are already under threat.

Their forest habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia is rapidly disappearing, putting the future of Asia's only great ape in peril.

The Bornean species can be split into three genetically different subspecies that were geographically and genetically isolated from each other.

The researchers, Dr Graham Banes and Dr Linda Vigilant from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, used 44 years of data and worked with Biruté Galdikas, who had originally released the orangutans in the 1970s, to determine the extent to which she had released non-native apes into the park.

They found that two non-native females had been rescued from the pet trade, Rani and Siswoyo. 

They were originally captured from Borneo.

Since they were released they have interbred with the native males and produced 22 'hybridised' descendants, who inherited a cocktail of genes that would not have otherwise occurred in the wild. 

Breeding between animals that are genetically different can sometimes be successful if the offspring inherit the benefits of both parents' individual qualities.

But Vigilant said 'offspring born to parents from two genetically distinct populations, which have not been in genetic contact for significant periods of time, have also been shown to suffer poor health and reproductive success in a range of different species.'

One of the orangutans, Rani, had a successful family with 14 descendants. Two died in infancy but the rest are thought to still be alive and healthy.

But in contrast, Siswoyo had fewer surviving offspring than any other female in the park. 

The researchers think this could be because of the interbreeding causing 'outbreeding depression' - when offspring from individuals from different populations have lower fitness than those from individuals from the same population.

Siswoyo only had five first-generation and three second-generation offspring. Two of her offspring died when they were young, while an infection following her last pregnancy meant Siswoyo's died ten days after the birth.

Her only daughter, Siswi, has frequently required care from the vets, including major surgery to treat a perforated intestine. 

She also gave birth to a stillborn offspring, a daughter that died in infancy, and a son that often needed medical interventions.

10 Most Endangered Wild Animal Species of India

Indian Bustard

The Great Indian bustard is one of the world’s heaviest flying birds is one of such rarest birds of Indian Sub continent. The Bird is found only in some parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. Less than a thousand survive today and the species is threatened by hunting and loss of its habitat. Indian Vulture is another Endangered birds of India,vultures were being found dead and dying throughout India. Indian King Vulture found sharply in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar pradesh.

Black Buck

Black buck also known as Kala Hiran is a species of antelope found mainly in India. It is one of the most beautiful and graceful animals of antelope species in India. Due to extensive poaching and habitat loss, black buck populations have been reduced drastically. The Antelopes of India can be seen in a a few protected areas like the Guindy National park Tamil Nadu, Rollapadu Andhra Pradesh and Chilka (Orissa) other than few parts of Rajasthan and Hariyana, Punjab is declared Black buck as state animal.

Indian Wild Ass

Indian wild ass also called khur is a subspecies of Asiatic wild ass found only in Rann of Kutch. Its last refuge lies in the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch and its surrounding areas of the greater Rann of Kutch in the Gujarat. The figure is 362, hence it was classified as a highlyendangered species in India.

Indian Wild Dog

Indian Wild Dog or Dhole is one of the top predators of wild forest,living in packs, hunting cooperatively and highly social animals. Asiatic wild dogs is also called the whistling hunter, because it has an extraordinary vocal call. Dhole is found in national parks of Assam, Bengal, Gujarat, Kashmir, MadhyaPradesh, and Nilgiri Biosphere reserve of south India. It is estimated that only 2500 Dholes are left in the wild. Threats to the dhole species include habitat destruction and loss of its main prey. There is a documentary available in Nat Geo as “The PACK”, which was one of the best documentary ever made on Asiatic wild dogs.

Red Panda

The beautiful and endangered species,Indian Red Panda is also known by the name of Red Fox. From the two kinds of Red Pandas in the world, only one variety is found in India. India has 20 protected areas with Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal’s Khangchendzonga and Namdapha National Park. The endangered Red Panda live in temperate climates, in deciduous and coniferous forests, usually with an understorey of bamboo and hollow trees.

10 Incredible Albino Animals

Ghost Moose

No, it isn’t a ghost of a Christmas past. The moose is the world’s largest deer, and it can be very dangerous to humans. Normally, this ungulate blends in by having a very dark coat that makes it next to invisible among the dark timbers of its forest home. However, this rare albino blends in perfectly with his snow-blanketed forest home in northern Ontario, Canada. However, once the snow melts, this albino is unfortunately much more visible to its predator, the wolf. For a northern mammal, one disadvantage of albinism, with its associated increase in ocular sensitivity, is the sheer intensity of the sun glaring off the snow.

Snowy Hummingbird

The albino ruby-throated hummingbird, native to eastern North America, garnered significant media attention after it was spotted in a garden in Virginia. Many albinos are either ostracized or hunted down by predators, but this solitary speedster is a loner anyway and probably too fast for most predators to catch. Normally, hummingbirds sport structural colors and a vast array of pigments that make them resemble living emeralds, but this bird’s lack of a ruby throat is offset by its red eyes. The ruby-throated hummingbird can migrate nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico, relying on its extensive energy reserves.

The Real Moby Dick

Marine mammal albinos are not entirely unknown in literature, thanks to the legend of Moby Dick—the Great White Whale—and the notorious Captain Ahab. White whales are not entirely creatures of legend, either. A massive, 14-meter (45 ft) albino humpback whale, one of the larger baleen whale species, was first sighted off the coast of Queensland, Australia in 1991. Years later, a humpback whale calf was seen on a popular migration route that sees around 15,000 whales each year. Albino whales may be more sensitive to light at the surface and more susceptible to predation. In an equally odd twist, an albino orca was filmed off the coast of Russia in 2012. As albino orcas are thought to suffer reduced immunity, the discovery of this 16-year-old whale surprised scientists. All the albino orcas found previously were juveniles.

Bleached “Bugs”

We tend to think of albino creatures as vertebrates, imagining animals such as birds, mammals, fish, or even reptiles. However, no creature is too small or primitive to be missing pigment. Albino arthropods are not lacking in the wild gallery of white. This extremely rare albino lobster looks like it swam through chlorine bleach, but it is completely natural. Its pigment gene is missing, causing its supply of melanin to be absent. The discovery of analbino powelliphanta snail, normally brown in color, was similarly surprising to its finders. This gigantic, somewhat creepy, New Zealand species is a voracious carnivore, biting at other small animals that cannot get out of the way fast enough.

White Whale Shark

In addition to whales, whale sharks may also have color-robbing mutations. This specimen of Earth’s largest fish is a full albino, and gives another, entirely unique meaning to the term “great white shark.” The ghostly but gentle creature was a rare find in 2008, when it was spotted haunting the ocean waters of Darwin, an island in the Galapagos group. The whale shark feeds primarily on macroplankton, sardines, and anchovies, and it lacks the massive teeth seen in more predatory sharks. While this species poses no direct threat to humans, one cannot deny the spookiness of an albino fish measuring over 10 meters (33 ft) in length. 

Dark Omens

In the human consciousness, vultures and ravens are imposing birds known for their pitch-black plumage and often-dark allegory. First Nations legends speak of a white raven that soiled its plumage on a muddy island as it grieved for its mate. The raven later regained its strength, and it will return in the end times to judge humans under the direction of the Great Spirit. Although they appear in legends, white ravens actually do exist. I have photographed these birds in British Columbia, where they became avian celebrities. Just as real is the ghoulish albino turkey vulture, a carrion-eating native of North and South America. Lacking melanin, its black feathers are replaced with a ghostly white plumage. Unfortunately, its diet of rotten meat can wreak havoc on its immaculate plumage.

White Alligator

White alligators in New York’s sewers may be an urban legend, but in truth, white alligators do exist. Although alligators are normally green, blending in with their native swamp environments as they stalk their prey, albinism has produced spectacular, science fiction-like creatures that would not normally survive in the wild. The real white alligator looks just like the sewer creature of popular mythology. And this alligator might feel more at home in a darkened sewer than an open wetland. The lack of pigment in the eye alters the amount of light entering the iris, leading to excessive exposure to brightness. As a result, albinos of any species, including humans, may experience great sensitivity to light.

White Night Creatures

Since ancient times, owls have been hailed as symbols of wisdom. The strange, somewhat human-like night birds have also been regarded as harbingers of doom (or even evil spirits, as believed by the superstitious). When the already-aberrant birds inherit albinism, the effects may cause even the most steadfast to be alarmed. The albino great horned owl, known as the “Flying Tiger,” is a true freak of nature. Equally unusual and eerie are the results of albinism in bats. The sight of one of these bug-hunting flying mammals blanketed in white is one of the most ghostly and rare experiences in the natural world. White owls and bleached bats are fortunate among albinos in one respect: They are not likely to suffer the ill effects of albinism-induced sunlight sensitivity.

White Panther

Black panthers owe their sinister appearance and notoriety to a sizable overdose of melanin, the dark pigment responsible for coloring humans and many animal species. However, many things in this world have their opposite, and the white panther is a reality of nature. White panthers are much rarer than black panthers. A specimen of an albino leopard is even on display at the Natural History Museum at Tring, in the UK. Several other large cat species may appear as white panthers, including jaguars and even cougars. The animals may be full albinos, or simply leucistic animals. Leucistic animals are missing all types of pigment—not just melanin, but their eyes are usually not affected, unlike albinos.

Albino Gorilla

Albinism doesn’t only affect humans from time to time, but also our closest relatives. The other members of the primate order may also be born without pigment. Snowflake, the one and only albino western lowland gorilla documented in the history of biology, was born wild in Equatorial Guinea in 1964. He lived most of his 39 years in Spain’s Barcelona Zoo, where testing revealed that his unique mutation resulted from inbreeding that involved a female gorilla and a male that turned out to be her uncle. Lacking the black, facial feature–obscuring pigment and dark hair typical to gorillas, Snowflake offered a unique glimpse into the para-human appearance of this incredible primate species.

6 species we might have to say goodbye to in 2015

Sumatran Elephant

The smallest of the Asian elephants, the Sumatran elephant's numbers have declined by an astonishing 80% in less than 25 years due to deforestation, habitat loss and human-elephant conflict in Sumatra. Around 2,400 to 2,800 individuals survive today.

Male Asian elephants have relatively small tusks, but poachers still kill to sell them in the illegal ivory market, thus skewing the sex ratio among wild elephants and making future breeding and species survival difficult.

Leatherback Turtle

The largest sea turtle species and one of the most migratory, the Leatherback turtle population has severely declined in recent years due to overharvesting, fisheries bycatch, plastic ingestion, egg poaching, habitat loss and expansion of coastal development that continues to disturb and destroy turtle nesting beaches.

SAOLA

Known as the Asian unicorn, the saola is rarely seen in the wild, and none live in captivity. The current population is estimated to be between a few dozen and a few hundred. Saola are hunted to supply growing demands for traditional medicine in China and food markets in Vietnam and Laos.

Habitat loss and reduced genetic diversity also threaten this species' already dwindling population.

Vaquita

As the world's most rare marine animal, the vaquita is on the brink of extinction with fewer than 100 individuals left in the world.

Found in the upper Gulf of California, one out of every five vaquita gets entangled and drowned in gillnets that are intended to catch another critically endangered species, the totoaba, whose swim bladders are illegally sold for about $4,000 a pound.

As long as this illegal international trade thrives, the vaquita population will continue to decline.

Sumatran Orangutan

Orangutan habitats in Sumatra are depleting at an astonishing rate due to forest fires, development of oil palm plantations, illegal logging and other agricultural development, posing a serious risk to this species.

Hunted for food and even captured alive to be kept as status symbols, this species is facing a downhill spiral due to inadequate law enforcement and an increase in illegal trafficking. About 7,300 individuals are left in the wild.

Yangtze Finless Porpoise

Known as the "giant panda of the water," these clever creatures are one of the most famous species found in China's Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia.

Due to overfishing, decrease in food supply, pollution and changing conditions caused by dams, only 1,000 to 1,800 individuals remain. The finless porpoise's close cousin, the Baiji dolphin, has already been declared functionally extinct due to human activity.

Top Ten Most Endangered Plants

1. Western Prairie Fringed Orchid

Platanthera praeclara only exists in five U.S. states in the Midwest. The Endangered Species Coalition estimates that there are only 172 populations of this plant, with merely four with more than 1,000 plants. This is a wetland plant that grows in “prairie potholes”, indents left by glaciers in the recent ice age, 20,000 years ago. The main threats to this plant are development, overgrazing, fires, and global warming.

2. Rafflesia Flower

Rafflesia arnoldii is thought to be the largest flower on the planet. The flower itself does not have a structural stem, leaves, or roots. But what it does have is the pungent odors of decomposing flesh, hence the nickname corpse flower. It grows three feet in diameter, and weighs up to 24 pounds. The Rafflesia is parasitic, growing on the Tetrastigma vine in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra.

3. Georgia Aster

Symphyotrichum georgianum is native to southeastern United States. According to NatureServe.com, a conservation organization, this plant first grew in small clumps, but now there are about 60 populations of this plant due to natural habitat development.

4. Wiggin's Acalypha

    Acalypha wigginsii is native to a tiny part of the Galapagos Islands. Construction work and loss of habitat are the main reasons these plants have declined in number. They are considered aCritically Endangered by the Galapagos Conservation Trust.

5. Texas Wild Rice

Zizania texana only has 140 clumps left, with a seemingly grim future ahead. Growing only in the freshwater of San Marcos River, this plant is endangered by lowering water levels caused by the Spring Lake Dam, according to the Center of Plant Conservation.

6. Howell's Spectacular Thelypody

Thelypodium howellii ssp. spectabilis only has five populations remaining, all of them in Oregon's northeast. In 1999, about 30 thousand plants remained, but its population drops annually due to unnecessary grass mowing in the areas this plants calls home.

7. Stenogyne Kanehoana

This member of the mint family was said to be extinct in 2000, until one sighting of a plant confirmed it was still alive. Growing only in the Waianae Mountains of the island of Oahu, the stegyne kanehoana has dense, furry leaves. In 2001 in the Lyon Arborteum, it was discovered that cuttings of this plant can be grown sucessfully in captivity.

8. Ouachita Mountain Goldenrod

Thought to be a remnant of the last ice age, the actual population of Solidago ouachitensis is unknown. It live in three counties along the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma. It prefers to live in a cool moist climate, like the crests of Ouachita Mountains.

9. Enrubio

In 1992, there were about 150 plants of the Solanum drymophilum left. Native to Puerto Rico, this bush has sharp thorns that protect it from being eaten. It is close to extinction because of the harm that is done to a grazing animal that ingests it.

10. Arizona Agave

With less than 100 plants alive in 1984, Agave arizonica has managed to keep its population from declining considerably. Only two populations have survived, both located in Tonto National Forest of scalding Arizona. The New River Mountains and Sierra Anchas Mountains are thought to be the only habitats of this rare specimen by the Center of Plant Conservation.