Titan triggerfish is a large species of triggerfish that belongs to the family of balistidae. Triggerfish are seen in the Indo-West and Central Pacific region, southwestern to north-western Western Australia, the central coast of New South Wales, and the Great Barrier Reef. This fish is easily found singly or in pairs protecting their areas over slopes of deep lagoons and seaward reefs. Juveniles are mainly found close to isolated patches of branching corals over protected shallow, sandy areas of reefs. The titan triggerfish is diurnal and solitary.

They are called mustache triggerfish as they have black markings above the mouth that look like a mustache. Its body is heavily scaled and is generally green to dark grey in color, with yellow or green fins with black tips, and a lower jaw, dark grey or purple in color. In Thailand, the fish are predominantly yellow in color.

Although it will sometimes eat smaller fish, the titan triggerfish is not solely a piscivore. Instead, its primary diet consists of several species of echinoderms, crustaceans, mollusks, tube worms, and living coral. They have powerful sharp teeth. The titan triggerfish uses its powerful bite to break pieces off and crush them to extract the meat. These are the workers of the reef, often busy turning over rocks, stirring up the sand, and biting off pieces of branching coral. This activity often stirs up nearby coral parts and small organisms, allowing other fish to feast on the leftovers.

While individuals have been observed in the wild eating juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish, sea urchins seem to be the favored target, including the various long-spined, somewhat venomous Diadema species. The titan gets past their defenses by seizing the tips of the spines in its mouth and flipping the urchin upside down. This exposes the relatively unprotected underside of the urchin so the titan triggerfish can dig the meat out of the spiny shell.

The diet of the titan triggerfish makes its impact on the reef rather neutral, for while it feeds on the corals and tube worms of the reef itself, it also feeds on other reef predators and helps to keep their populations in check.

They have independently rotating eyes, and their pelvic fins are fused into a single spine.

They have 2 dorsal fins, the first of which is comprised of 3 spines, and this is where the triggerfish derives its name. The spine is also held erect as a warning to other fish to stay away. If this warning is ignored, they are known to charge at anything and anyone. At night or when threatened, the fish will wedge itself into a coral crevasse and erect its dorsal fin wedging itself in tight. The first spine is locked in place by the second spine and once that's in place, the fish is virtually immovable, resulting in the titan triggerfish not being considered an easy meal. Although not much is known about what in particular preys on titans, one thing is for sure, they can defend themselves quite well.

The triggerfish search for mating partners and are known to do mating dances with the chosen one. Both sexes will vigorously protect the nesting area. While nesting or not, the male is usually aggressive and can attack unprovoked; a female guarding her nest can be equally aggressive. They will deftly defend the nest even against intruders much bigger than themselves. The territory around the nest is roughly cone-shaped and divers who accidentally enter it may be attacked. The threat posture includes the triggerfish facing the intruder while holding its first dorsal spine erect. It may also roll onto its side, allowing it a better look at the intruder. Their bites can cause serious infection as they contain a natural poison called Ciguatoxin. The titan triggerfish will not always bite but can swim at snorkelers and divers escorting them out of their territory.

Sexually distinctive, the titan triggerfish will lay eggs that are fertilized externally. Eggs are laid after some preparation of the nest. They create a depression in the sand of the chosen nesting area by fanning it with their caudal and dorsal fins. Titan triggerfish spawn for about 4 days a month. The male will guard the nest and blow water over the eggs, ensuring a good supply of fresh water and oxygen. Once the larvae hatch, they will swim away, presumably into the protection afforded by the coral reef. Early on in the life cycle, zooplankton will be the source of nourishment until such time as the juvenile has matured enough to take on other delicacies of the coral reef.

#Nature #CoralReef #CrownofthornsStarfish

The Sumatran rhinoceros, also known as the hairy rhinoceros or Asian two-horned rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), is a rare member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant species of rhinoceros. It is the only extant species of the genus Dicerorhinus. It is the smallest rhinoceros, although it is still a large mammal, it stands 112–145 cm high at the shoulder, with a head-and-body length of 2.36–3.18 m and a tail of 35–70 cm. The weight is reported to range from 500 to 1,000 kg, averaging 700–800 kg, although there is a single record of a 2,000 kg specimen. Like both African species, it has two horns, the larger is the nasal horn, typically 15–25 cm, while the other horn is typically a stub. A coat of reddish-brown hair covers most of the Sumatran rhino's body. The males have larger horns than the females, though the species is not otherwise sexually dimorphic.

The rhino has a patch of long hair around its ears and a thick clump of hair at the end of its tail. Like all rhinos, they have very poor vision. The Sumatran rhinoceros is fast and agile, it climbs mountains easily and comfortably traverses steep slopes and riverbanks.

Members of the species once inhabited rainforests, swamps, and cloud forests in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. In historical times, they lived in southwest China, particularly in Sichuan. They are now critically endangered, with only five substantial populations in the wild, four in Sumatra and one in Borneo. Their numbers are difficult to determine because they are solitary animals that are widely scattered across their range, but they are estimated to number fewer than 80. The species was completely extirpated from Malaysia in 2019, and one of the Sumatran populations may already be extinct. Sumatran rhinos compete with the Javan rhino for the unenviable title of most threatened rhino species. While surviving in possibly greater numbers than the Javan rhino, Sumatran rhinos are more threatened due to habitat loss and fragmentation.

Sumatran rhinoceroses were once quite numerous throughout Southeast Asia. Fewer than 100 individuals are now estimated to remain. The species is classed as critically endangered (primarily due to illegal poaching) while the last survey in 2008 estimated that around 250 individuals survived. From the early 1990s, the population decline was estimated at more than 50% per decade, and the small, scattered populations now face high risks of inbreeding depression. Most remaining habitat is in relatively inaccessible mountainous areas of Indonesia.

The poaching of Sumatran rhinoceroses is a cause for concern, due to the high market price of its horn.  This species has been overhunted for many centuries, leading to the current greatly reduced and still declining – population. The rhinos are difficult to observe and hunt directly, so poachers make use of spear traps and pit traps.

In the 1970s, uses of the rhinoceros' body parts among the local people of Sumatra were documented, such as the use of rhino horns in amulets and a folk belief that the horns offer some protection against poison. Dried rhinoceros meat was used as medicine for diarrhea, leprosy, and tuberculosis. "Rhino oil", a concoction made from leaving a rhino's skull in coconut oil for several weeks, may be used to treat skin diseases. The extent of use and belief in these practices is not known. Rhinoceros horn was once believed to be widely used as an aphrodisiac; in fact, traditional Chinese medicine never used it for this purpose. Nevertheless, hunting in this species has primarily been driven by a demand for rhino horns with unproven medicinal properties.

The rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, which the Sumatran rhino inhabits, are also targets for legal and illegal logging because of the desirability of their hardwoods. Enforcement of illegal logging laws is difficult because humans live within or near many of the same forests as the rhino. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake has been used to justify new logging. Although the hardwoods in the rainforests of the Sumatran rhino are destined for international markets and not widely used in domestic construction, the number of logging permits for these woods has increased dramatically because of the tsunami. However, while this species has been suggested to be highly sensitive to habitat disturbance, apparently it is of little importance compared to hunting, as it can withstand more or less any forest condition. Nevertheless, the main cause of drastic reduction of the species is likely caused by the Allee effect. There are a variety of mechanisms that can create Allee effects, including mating systems, predation, environmental modification, and social interactions among others.

#Wildlife #AlleeEffect #Rainforest

The red bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea rubra, also Cendrawasih Merah), is a bird-of-paradise in the genus Paradisaea, family Paradisaeidae.
Large, up to 33 cm long, brown and yellow with a dark brown iris, grey legs and yellow bill. The male has an emerald green face, a pair of elongated black corkscrew-shaped tail wires, dark green feather pompoms above each eye and a train of glossy crimson red plumes with whitish tips at either side of the breast. The male measures up to 72 cm long, including the ornamental red plumes that require at least six years to fully attain. The female is similar but smaller in size, with a dark brown face and has no ornamental red plumes. The diet consists mainly of fruits, berries and arthropods.
As with other sexually dimorphic birds of paradise, the male Red Bird of Paradise is polygamous. It also has one of the most complex courtship display of the whole family. On high intensity display, he performs a butterfly dance, spreading and fluttering his wings like a giant butterfly.
An Indonesian endemic, the red bird-of-paradise is distributed to lowland rainforests of Waigeo and Batanta islands of Raja Ampat, West Papua. This species shares its home with another bird-of-paradise, the Wilson's bird-of-paradise. Hybridisation between these two species is not recorded but is expected because it is recorded for many other birds-of-paradise.

#CalmingMusic #Forest #RajaAmpat

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The name comes from the old Portuguese word coco, meaning "head" or "skull". They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics.

The coconut tree has no branches, only leaves, which are far away on the top of the tree and are used by people in various things. Coconut tree only grows in tropical climate and are likely to be found in coastal areas.

#CalmingMusic #HermitCrab ##Coastal

Desmarest's Hutia (Capromys Pilorides) also known as the Cuban Hutia or banana rat is the largest compared to all Hutia species. Desmarest's hutia is found in a wide range of habitats. The Cuban Hutias' habitats are usually montane cloud forests, mangrove forests, mountains, and arid coastal semi-deserts in Cuba. In northern Cuba, populations tend to be centered on areas where there are abundant mangroves, while southern populations tend to favor a more terrestrial habitat.

Desmarest's hutia has a head-and-body length of 31–60 cm, a tail that is 14–29 cm long, and weighs 2.8–8.5 kg. It has thick, coarse fur which extends to the tip of the tail. The color of the body fur varies from black to brown, with a light sand color and red also seen. The stomach is divided into three compartments by constrictions in the gut and is among the most complex of any rodent.

Desmarest's Hutias are quite cute and do not look like typical rodents because of their stocky body, heavyweight, and noticeable size. They look more like squirrels or guinea pigs than rats. It moves with a slow, waddling gait, but can perform a quick hop when pursued. They can run very fast, especially when they are startled or if they are aware that they are being hunted by crocodiles or big predatory birds. The feet have five toes with large claws which assist the animal in climbing. They are also agile enough to climb branches so they can hide from animals that are hunting them, or have a better view of their prey which are typically reptiles.

Cuban hutias are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and flesh, but eat mostly plants. Their diet includes leaves, fruit, bark, lizards, and small animals.

Although social, Desmarest's Hutia is quite solitary with their living situation. At most, they love in pairs or small groups, usually with relatives or mates. They are not aggressive at all, neither within their species nor the other animals in their habitat. They are diurnal and do not burrow, so during the night, they rest in hollows in rocks or trees.

These Cuban Hutia communicates with each other by scent marking. It is the most common form of communication among their species. They do this by urinating where the others members of their species reside. Aside from scent marking, they are fond of "grooming" or tumbling around each other in a non-aggressive manner. They are naturally shy and thrive more in pairs than in a big group.

Desmarest's Hutia has a gestation period that ranges from 120-126 days, and their breeding season is all year round. Most Cuban Hutias nest in rock crevices and their average litter size is 2-3. The average age of sexual maturity for both male and female Cuban Hutias is 304 days or approximately 10 months.

A Desmarest's Hutia typically lives at an average range of 8-11 years. The longevity of its life would depend on whether it will be hunted by its predators or not. Otherwise, there isn't much danger to their well-being as food is readily available in their habitat.

Hutias were traditionally hunted for food in Cuba as their flesh was agreeable and their size meant they provided a substantial meal. The Wild Animals Protection Act of 1968 made it illegal to hunt or kill hutias without a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

#Nature #Mangroves #CubanCrocodile

Borneo is huge. After Greenland and New Guinea, it’s the third-largest island on the planet – and two thirds of it belongs to Indonesia. Straddling the equator, and split politically by Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia, Borneo sustains one of the richest ecosystems on the globe. Borneo – the biggest island in the Malay archipelago – is made up of dense, often impenetrable jungle and mountains surrounded by swampy coasts fringed with mangrove forests.
Sandwiched between the South China and Java Seas, Borneo’s stable, moist tropical climate has ensured that its lowland rainforests are packed with some of the world’s most biodiverse collections of flowering plants, birds and animals.
Borneo Tropical Rainforest also provides homes for a vast number of consumers including the clouded leopard, sun bear, Bengal Tiger, Musang, Dawn Bat, Jambu Fruit Dove, King Cobra, Orangutan, and Silvery Gibbon among many others. The Jambu Fruit Dove and Red-Shanked Douc Langur are herbivores, eating only producers. The Musang, Orangutan, and Wagler's Pit Viper are carnivores, eating both plants and animals alike.

#UrangUtan
#Hornbill
#Snake

The whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, and the only member of its genus. A relatively small species, few whitetip reef sharks are longer than 1.6 m, this species is easily recognizable by its slender body and short but broad head, as well as tubular skin flaps beside the nostrils, oval eyes with vertical pupils, with characteristic white markings on the tips of several of its fins. These markings gave it its common name. It is an agile swimmer well suited for its mostly reef habitat existence.

The whitetip reef shark is widely distributed across the entire Indo-Pacific region. In the Indian Ocean, it is found from northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to the Red Sea and the Indian subcontinent, including Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, the Aldabra Group, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and the Chagos Archipelago. In the western and central Pacific, it occurs from off southern China, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands, to the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia, to northern Australia, and is also found around numerous islands in Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, as far as Hawaii to the north, and the Pitcairn Islands to the southeast. In the eastern Pacific, it occurs from Costa Rica to Panama, and off the Galápagos Islands.

Associated almost exclusively with coral reef habitats, whitetip reef sharks are most often encountered around coral heads and ledges with high vertical relief, and additionally over sandy flats, in lagoons, and near drop-offs to deeper water. They prefer very clear water and rarely swim far from the bottom. This species is most common at a depth of 8–40 m. On occasion, they may enter water less than 1 m deep. Individuals may stay within a particular area of the reef for months or years, frequently returning to the same shelter. A whitetip reef shark can survive for six weeks without food. These sharks are not territorial and share their home ranges with others of their species, they do not perform threat displays.

During the day, whitetip reef sharks spend much of their time resting inside caves. Unlike other requiem sharks, which rely on ram ventilation and must constantly swim to breathe, this shark can pump water over its gills and lie still on the bottom. This species feeds mainly on bony fishes, including eels, squirrelfishes, snappers, damselfishes, parrotfishes, surgeonfishes, triggerfishes, and goatfishes, as well as octopuses, spiny lobsters, and crabs. Whitetip reef sharks hunt primarily at night when many fishes are asleep and easily taken. After dusk, groups of sharks methodically scour the reef, often breaking off pieces of coral in their vigorous pursuit of prey. Multiple sharks may target the same prey item, covering every exit route from a particular coral head. Each shark hunts for itself and is in competition with the others in its group. Like all sharks, whitetip reef sharks rely on electroreceptors in their snouts to detect the electrical charges of nearby prey. Although they are formidable predators, whitetip reef sharks are preyed upon by larger fish, such as tiger sharks and giant grouper.

Unlike its Oceanic cousin, the white tip reef shark is more harmless and is seldom aggressive unless provoked. They are also fearless and curious, as the whitetip reef sharks may approach swimmers closely to investigate. However, these sharks readily attempt, and quite boldly, to steal catches from spear fishers, which has resulted in several people being bitten in the process. Whitetip reef sharks are well-suited to ecotourism diving, and with conditioning, they can be hand-fed by divers.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as Vulnerable, as its numbers have dropped in recent decades due to increasing, and thus far unregulated, fishing pressure in the tropics. Its restricted habitat, low dispersal, and slow reproduction are factors that limit this shark's capacity for recovering from overfishing.

#Nature #Fish #NightHunting

Strawberry poison dart frog have poison secreting skin. The toxins they produce are not known to be fatal for humans. However, the poison can cause serious allergic reactions to human skin.
Their skin can range from strawberry red, blue, yellow, white, green, orange to black. Their bodies are compact, with four un-webbed fingers on each hand and foot.
This species typically resides in rainforest habitats and also in cacao and banana groves. Unlike some other poison dart frogs, this frog tends to spend most of its time on the rainforest floor in leaf litter, however, they frequently climb trees and vines.
They mainly eat smaller insects like ants, which is where they get the alkaline toxins for their poisonous skin. They have also been known to eat mites and other small arthropods.
With their highly territorial behavior, males must establish certain areas in order to find a successful partnership with a mate. If other intruding frogs invade an established territory, the resident male frog will begin wrestling the invading frog until it has pinned it completely on the ground. Generally, strawberry poison dart frogs will spend most of their energy feeding, mating, and taking care of their offspring by defending their territory.

#CalmingMusic #Frog #Poisonous

Wilson's bird-of-paradise is rather small. Males can reach a length of 16 cm (21 cm including central rectrices) and a weight of 53–67 g., while females can reach a length of 16 cm,but a weight of 52–60 g. The male is a red and black bird-of-paradise, with a yellow mantle on its neck, light green mouth, rich blue feet and two curved violet tail feathers. The head is naked blue, with a black double cross pattern on it. The female is a brownish bird with bare blue crown.
In the field, the blue bare skin on the crown of the bird's head is so vivid that it is clearly visible by night; the deep scarlet back and velvet green breast are lush, the curlicue tail gleaming bright silver.
Males of these birds clear an area of rainforest to create a 'display court'. Then they perform an elaborate mating dance to impress a potential mate. The male usually exhibits the attractive breast shield and accompanies the mating dance with song and calls.
While these birds are difficult to locate in the wild and have not been studied in-depth, footage of the few mating rituals that have been witnessed for this species tells all. This species territorially defends a “court” in which it performs its vocalizations and physical maneuvers. Males will continually work to keep this area free of debris, making sure that nothing on the ground will distract from their displays. Males will perch on a vertical branch in the middle of their court, flexing their brilliant green fluorescent collar and calling out to females to attract them to their site. Females who are interested will perch above the male on the branch and watch as he weaves back and forth, calling to her and flexing the fluorescent collar. As was recently discovered when researchers filmed the dance from the female's perspective, as the male displays, he is basically a brilliant green disc, and the inside of his mouth is fluorescent, making him an astonishing beacon of brilliant color. This phenomenal display of color demonstrates the power of female sexual selection over male appearance and behavior in the animal kingdom.

#CalmingMusic #Forest #WestPapua

Kelp forests are under water areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. A wide range of sea life uses kelp forests for protection or food, including fish.
Physically formed by brown macroalgae, kelp forests provide a unique habitat for marine organisms and are a source for understanding many ecological processes. Over the last century, they have been the focus of extensive research, particularly in trophic ecology, and continue to provoke important ideas that are relevant beyond this unique ecosystem. For example, kelp forests can influence coastal oceanographic patterns and provide many ecosystem services.
Overfishing and climate change, kelp forests have all but disappeared in many especially vulnerable places. The implementation of marine protected areas is one management strategy useful for addressing such issues, since it may limit the impacts of fishing and buffer the ecosystem from additive effects of other environmental stressors.

#CalmingMusic #Fish #SeaForest

The Barrier Reef is a tough place to live, even for a shark. Extreme tides and high temperatures leave the reef as a series of rockpools at low tide. Bigger sharks are forced into deeper water, leaving the Epaulette shark alone to exploit the riches of the reef undisturbed. Unlike any other shark, the Epaulette has an uncanny ability to walk. It uses its fins as prototype legs to crawl over the exposed reef between rockpools that contain its prey. But no shark can breathe out of water. This is not a problem for the epaulette shark though, as it can survive 60 times longer without oxygen than humans can! In order to do this the little shark slows its breathing and heart rate and powers down its brain. These incredible physiological changes mean the Epaulette shark has more time to hunt on the reef before the tide rises and the bigger sharks move back in. This shark is truly the master of the intertidal environment.

#CalmingMusic #CoralReef #Shark

Some tropical and subtropical coastal areas are home to special types of saltwater swamps known as mangroves. Mangroves may be considered part of shoreline ecosystems or estuary ecosystems. Mangrove swamps are characterized by trees that tolerate a saline environment, whose roots systems extend above the water line to obtain oxygen, presenting a mazelike web. Mangroves host a wide diversity of life, including sponges, shrimp, crabs, jellyfish, fish, birds and even crocodiles. They contribute to the mangrove food web and provide a rich environment for many marine species.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees, also called halophytes, and are adapted to life in harsh coastal conditions. They contain a complex salt filtration system and complex root system to cope with salt water immersion and wave action. They are adapted to the low-oxygen conditions of waterlogged mud.

Mangrove swamps protect coastal areas from erosion, storm surge (especially during tropical cyclones), and tsunamis. The mangroves' massive root systems are efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they slow down tidal water enough so that its sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all except fine particles when the tide ebbs. In this way, mangroves build their own environments. Because of the uniqueness of mangrove ecosystems and the protection against erosion they provide, they are often the object of conservation programs, including national biodiversity action plans.

#CalmingMusic #Fish #MangroveForest

The magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) is a seabird of the frigatebird family (Fregatidae). The magnificent frigatebird is known by several names including the pirate bird, condor of the oceans, and 'Man-o'-War' bird. With a length of 89–114 cm and a wingspan of 2.17–2.44 m, it is the largest species of frigatebird. Magnificent frigatebirds are found nesting in the Galapagos and the coast of Ecuador down to Mexico and in the Caribbean and Florida. It has occurred as a vagrant as far from its normal range as the Isle of Man, Denmark, Spain, England, Nova Scotia, the Magdalen Islands, and British Columbia.

Frigatebirds are the only seabirds in which the male and female look strikingly different. Females may not have the males' bright red pouch, but they are bigger than males.

The magnificent frigatebird is silent in flight but makes various rattling sounds at its nest. It spends days and nights on the wing, with an average ground speed of 10 km/h, covering up to 223 km before landing. They alternately climb in thermals, to altitudes occasionally as high as 2,500 m, and descend to near the sea surface. This bird makes a shallow platform nest on top of both trees and bushes on islands and cays with mangroves. This nest is constructed out of branches and twigs. The magnificent frigatebird lays a clutch of one clear white egg. After the egg hatches, the male parent will abandon it, with the female staying to provision for the young for almost a year.

Even though magnificent frigatebirds are seabirds, their feathers aren’t waterproof. Because of this, they can’t land on the ocean. If they did, the water would make them very heavy and they wouldn’t be able to take off, which means that they would eventually drown. Their legs and feet are very small, so they can’t paddle well with them, they rarely even walk.

This species feeds mainly on fish, squid, jellyfish, and crustaceans. Individual bird diets vary depending on food availability and preferred hunting techniques.

The Magnificent Frigatebird feeds on fish taken in flight from the ocean's surface (often flying fish). Magnificent frigatebirds practice kleptoparasitism, pecking at other seabirds to force them to disgorge their meals. After forcing the other seabird to regurgitate its meal, the magnificent frigatebird will dive and catch the prey before it hits the surface of the water. Magnificent frigatebirds have a long, thin, hooked beak that is specially designed to help them catch and steal slippery fish. Learning how to chase other birds and steal meals takes practice. Juvenile Frigatebirds practice stealing “food” from one another by playing games with sticks. Young frigatebirds hold sticks in their mouths and chase each other. When one of them drops the stick, the other dives below to retrieve it.

Magnificent Frigatebirds can fly without landing for several days and nights in a row without resting, a trait that earned them the nickname “the condor of the oceans”. Spanish sailors called them “pirate birds” or “Man-o-Wars.” This was because of their habit of stealing food from other birds.

The Magnificent Frigatebird has no known predators. The exception to the rule may be that mammals may sometimes steal their eggs from nests on land. But since Frigatebirds are such careful parents, this does not happen often. The parents monitor their nests around the clock.

The conservation status shows that the species is not under immediate threat, however, some populations globally are being put under pressure due to habitat loss and tourist encroachment on their breeding grounds. Their feeding habits also make them reliant on oceanic predators which bring their food up to the surface. Species such as dolphins and tuna are being put under threat which in turn is a threat to the frigatebirds. They could also be affected by marine plastic pollution.

The magnificent frigatebird is labeled as least concern by the IUCN Red List and as such there are no specific plans in place in Galapagos to protect this species particularly. However, they are protected by the Galapagos National Park.

#Nature #RedbilledTropicbird #Kleptoparasitism

The coconut crab (Birgus latro) also called the robber crab or palm thief, large nocturnal land crab of the Indian Ocean, the Indo-Pacific region, and the southern Pacific Ocean, with a distribution that closely matches that of the coconut palm.

Adult coconut crabs are about 1 meter from leg tip to leg tip and weigh about 4.5 kg Depending on where they live, coconut crabs can be deep blue, red, or purple-red in color, or any combination of the three. Their left claw is slightly larger than their right, both of which are located near the front of their bodies. Their pinchers are among the strongest of all land animals. They have two pairs of walking legs that have pointed dactyls at the end used for gripping tree bark and other tough surfaces. Interestingly, coconut crabs have gills but, as a result of evolution and thousands of years on land, they don’t work, they instead use lungs for gas exchange as humans do.

Coconut crabs live alone in burrows and rock crevices, depending on the local terrain. They dig their own burrows in sand or loose soil. During the day, the animal stays hidden to reduce water loss from heat. They live almost exclusively on land, returning to the sea only to release their eggs.

Coconut crabs are also known as robber crabs because might be tied to that incredible sense of smell. Unlike most other crabs, they have specially shortened antennae to detect smells in the air over great distances. Coconut crabs ignore objects that have been washed clean of scents, suggesting that they may only abscond with things that carry a faint whiff of food. The smells of rotting meat, bananas, and coconuts, all potential food sources, catch their attention especially.

Adult coconut crabs are omnivorous scavengers, which means they eat pretty much anything they can find. They eat animal carcasses, the molted skeletons of other crustaceans, tropical fruits, and coconut meat. They often use their claws to poke a hole into the soft eye of coconut before splitting it open, but some coconut crabs will drag coconuts to the top of a tree, dropping them to break them open. They will bring larger food items back to their home burrows for safe consumption and storage for later. They eat more ahead of molting periods and will eat their own exoskeletons after shedding.

The coconut crab can take a coconut from the ground and cut it to a husk nut, take it with its claw, climb up a tree 10 m high and drop the husked nut, to access the coconut flesh inside. They often descend from the trees by falling and can survive a fall of at least 4.5 m unhurt. Coconut crabs cut holes into coconuts with their strong claws and eat the contents. If the coconut is still covered with husk, it will use its claws to rip off strips. Once the pores are visible, the coconut crab bangs its pincers on one of them until it breaks.

Coconut crabs mate frequently and quickly on dry land. The female lays her eggs shortly after mating and glues them to the underside of her abdomen, carrying the fertilized eggs underneath her body for a few months. At the time of hatching, the female coconut crab migrates to the seashore and releases the larvae into the ocean. This usually takes place on rocky shores at dusk, especially when this coincides with high tide.

The larvae float in the pelagic zone of the ocean with other plankton for 3–4 weeks, during which a large number of them are eaten by predators. Upon reaching the glaucothoe stage of development, they settle to the bottom, find and wear a suitably sized gastropod shell, and migrate to the shoreline with other terrestrial hermit crabs. At that time, they sometimes visit dry land. Afterward, they leave the ocean permanently and lose the ability to breathe in water. Coconut crabs are related to hermit crabs, and they act like it when they’re young. Because its shell is thin and soft when it is small, a juvenile coconut crab wears an empty seashell or coconut husk on its back. As the crab grows, its shell becomes thicker and harder. The coconut crab reaches sexual maturity around 5 years after hatching. They reach their maximum size only after 40–60 years.

Adult coconut crabs have no known predators apart from other coconut crabs and humans. Its large size and the quality of its meat means that the coconut crab is extensively hunted and is very rare on islands with a human population. Other dangers to coconut crabs relate to climate change, which may affect food availability and reproductive cycles, and ocean acidification, which would make life difficult for larval and juvenile crabs to grow their exoskeletons.

Coconut crab populations in several areas have declined or become locally extinct due to both habitat loss and human predation. In 1981, it was listed on the IUCN Red List as a vulnerable species, but a lack of biological data caused its assessment to be amended to "data deficient" in 1996. In 2018, IUCN updated its assessment to "vulnerable".

#Nature #HermitCrabs #CoconutTree

Elephant shrews also called jumping shrews or sengis, are small insectivorous mammals native to Africa, belonging to the family Macroscelididae, in the order Macroscelidea. Their traditional common English name "elephant shrew" comes from a perceived resemblance between their long noses and the trunk of an elephant, and their superficial similarity with shrews (family Soricidae) in the order Eulipotyphla. However, phylogenetic analysis revealed that elephant shrews are not classified with true shrews, but are more closely related to elephants than shrews. They are widely distributed across the southern part of Africa, and although common nowhere, can be found in almost any type of habitat, from the Namib Desert to boulder-strewn outcrops in South Africa to thick forest.

The creature is one of the fastest small mammals, having been recorded to reach speeds of 28.8 kilometers per hour. They vary in size from about 10 to 30 centimeters, from 50 to 500 grams. Their lifespans are about two and a half to four years in the wild.

Although mostly diurnal and very active, they are difficult to trap and very seldom seen; elephant shrews are wary, well camouflaged, and adept at dashing away from threats. Several species make a series of cleared pathways through the undergrowth, the pathway provides an obstacle-free escape route.

Elephant shrews mainly eat insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, and earthworms. They play a significant role in maintaining natural checks of insect populations. An elephant shrew uses its nose to find prey and uses its tongue to flick small food into its mouth, much like an anteater. Some elephant shrews also feed on small amounts of plant matter, especially new leaves, seeds, and small fruits.

Elephant shrews are not highly social animals, but many live in monogamous pairs, which share and defend their home territory, marked using scent glands. Rhynchocyon species also dig small conical holes in the soil, bandicoot-style, but others may make use of natural crevices, or make leaf nests. Although they live in pairs, the partners do not care much for each other and their sole purpose of even associating with the opposite sex is for reproduction. Social behaviors are not very common and they even have separate nests. The one or two young are well developed at birth; they can run within a few hours.

Female elephant shrews undergo a menstrual cycle similar to that of human females and the species is one of the few nonprimate mammals to do so. Elephant shrews were used in the 1940s to study the human menstruation cycle. The elephant shrew mating period lasts for several days. After mating, the pair will return to their solitary habits. After a gestation period varying from 45 to 60 days, the female will bear litters of one to three young several times a year. The young are born relatively well developed but remain in the nest for several days before venturing outside. After about 15 days, the young will begin the migratory phase of their lives, which lessens their dependency on their mother. The young will then establish their home ranges and will become sexually active within 41–46 days.

They are intolerant of close neighbors, and should one trespass into the territory it will be violently evicted. Aggressive encounters involve screaming, sparring, snapping, and kicking, all of which can happen so rapidly that it appears to be a blur of animals tumbling on the forest floor.

Generally speaking, elephant shrews do not pose much danger to humans. Elephant shrews tend to shy away from anything that could be considered dangerous or predatory, so they do not interact with humans much at all.

#WildLife #Animal #Africa

The Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is a type of frog which is found on trees and leaves of the tropical rain forests of Central America. are known as arboreal hylid, which means part of the tree-dwelling frog family.

Red-eyed tree frogs are arboreal that spend most of their life on trees and will require a variety of climbing and hiding structures within their habitat. Red-Eyed Tree Frogs can defy gravity and cling to leaves, sticks, and even glass. The suction cup-like foot pad helps them cling to the underside of leaves. Frogs’ feet are not entirely flat and fit into irregular surfaces very well. These frogs can stick to almost any surface, especially anything moist. They are found in the lowland rainforest and surrounding hills, closer to rivers or such water bodies. They are capable swimmers and visit these areas regularly as they can absorb water through the skin on their belly.

They are known for their bulging red eyes with a vertical pupil, which may result from their nocturnal behavior. They sleep by day, clinging to the bottom of the leaf with closed red eyes and body marking covered. The dorsal area is neon green with yellow or blue vertical markings on it. Their sides are light blue or cream-colored or may have yellow stripes. The upper legs are bright blue and the feet are bright red or orange. The suction toe pads are also the same color. The younger red-eyed tree frog may be brown in color and change color as they mature. The Red-Eyed Tree frog is found to be in the range of 2-3 inches. The female is larger than the male. They can change their body color to darker green or reddish-brown.

Red-eyed tree frogs are insectivores, eating crickets, moths, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects. Sometimes, they eat smaller frogs. Tadpoles mostly eat fruit flies and pinhead crickets. A red-eyed tree frog is an ambush predator which catches its prey using the element of surprise.

Despite intense coloration of the body, the red-eyed tree frog is not poisonous like other brightly-colored species of frogs. Their defense mechanism is startled coloration. These colors, as defense mechanisms, help them to merge in with their surrounding green fauna and flora. If the green camouflage fails and a predator spots a sleeping frog, When disturbed or attacked, they will open and bulge their bright red eyes and reveal their huge webbed orange feet and brightly colored yellow and blue flanks. The predator is often so surprised by these sudden flashes of color that it is momentarily confused and hesitates. The shocking colors of this frog may over-stimulate a predator's eyes, creating a confusing ghost image This will make the predator, pause for a moment giving them enough time to jump to safety.

Snakes are especially important predators of tree frogs. Snakes largely search for prey via chemical cues, rather than visual ones, negating the camouflage protection most tree frogs possess. Additionally, many snakes are accomplished climbers that can ascend trees, as well as tree frogs. Birds typically have excellent eyesight and are capable of finding even the most well-camouflaged tree frogs. Otters, raccoons, and squirrels eat tree frogs. The sharp eyesight and dexterous hands of these two mammals assist in locating and manipulating their amphibian prey. Bat regularly predates upon calling frogs, able to discern edible species from toxic species by call alone. Tadpoles are targeted by dragonflies, fish, and water beetles.

Red-Eyed Tree Frogs usually mate in the rainy season. The mating process starts with croaking and quivering mating rituals. The process for mating is called amplexus, which is common among varied frog species. In this process, the smaller males clasp themselves to the larger females when their eggs reach maturity. The males will inseminate the eggs as the females lay them. This process may take a day or longer. They mate the underside of the leaves, while the female is clinging to the leaves for both of them. The female will enter the water after she lays her clutch with the male still attached to her in order to fill her bladder with water. Water will keep the eggs moist. The eggs are laid on the underside of leaves close to the water. The eggs hatch within a few days of laying. After the eggs hatch, the tadpoles will emerge quickly and swim around the eggs until it ruptures. This is a quick process to let the tadpoles enter the water below.

It takes a red-eyed tree frog one to two years to reach maturity, depending on how much they eat. The frogs usually survive about 5 years in the wild, but can live much longer in captivity.

The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its wide distribution and presumed large populations; it is also present in a large number of protected areas throughout its range. Pressures on the red-eyed treefrog include habitat loss through deforestation and some collection for the pet trade.

#Nature #Rainforest #CentralAmerica

The Brown Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris) belongs to the same genus as some of the smallest reptiles in the entire world (Brookesia micra is the tiniest Chameleon on record).

The brown leaf chameleon is like other Brookesia species, a master of disguise. The brown leaf chameleon is distinguished by its elongated, high, laterally squashed body that resembles a rolled-up, dead leaf. The size and appearance of this chameleon vary considerably over its relatively vast range, and it may be any shade of brown, beige, grey, olive, green, or dark red, but usually display colors and patterns that mimic a dead leaf. Despite its tiny size, the brown leaf chameleon has an imposing appearance due to two pronounced horns that protrude from the head above each eye and four spiny scales that jut from the throat.

The brown leaf chameleon occurs in eastern Madagascar (including the island of Nosy Boraha), from sea level up to altitudes of over 1,250 meters. The floor of the evergreen primary forest is the preferred habitat of the brown leaf chameleon, but it may also be found in secondary forests and adjacent overgrown plantations. It seems to prefer closed-canopy forest and climbs higher in the forest (up to 1.5 meters), more often than other species of Brookesia.

The brown leaf chameleon spends its days foraging among dead leaves on the forest floor, searching for prey with its independently moving, protruding eyes and catching insects with its long, sticky tongue. If threatened, the lizard's first reaction is to stay still and rely on its remarkable camouflage, but it may also exhibit other defense behaviors. This includes the 'freeze and roll' technique, in which the chameleon folds its legs underneath its belly, rolls over to one side, and remains very still, mimicking a dead leaf on the forest floor. Alternatively, the brown leaf chameleon may also thrust its spines to ward off predators.

Brown leaf chameleons have an interesting courtship ritual in which a male approaches a female with pronounced nodding and rocking movements. An unreceptive female repels a male by reacting with jerky movements, while a receptive female walks with the male. After some time walking together, and before dusk, the male mounts the female and is carried on her back until the pair copulates in the late evening or at night. This species is known to store sperm. Between 30 and 45 days after copulation, the female lays two to five eggs, which she hides under dead leaves, moss, and pieces of bark on the forest floor. Sometimes, a true nest is excavated and the clutch is laid onto the ground. The eggs hatch after 59 to 70 days; the brown leaf chameleon reaches sexual maturity within one year.

Like other Brookesia chameleons, the brown leaf chameleon is threatened primarily by habitat destruction, which is the result of agricultural expansion, timber extraction, and small-scale mining. Harvesting for the international pet trade does occur but is unlikely to be threatening its survival. Since 2005, export quotas have been set at 200 individuals per year.

The brown leaf chameleon is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that trade in this species should be carefully controlled to be compatible with their survival. It is also known to occur in a number of protected areas, including Befotaka-Midongy National Park, Mantadia National Park, Analamazoatra Special Reserve,[6] and Kalambatitra Special Reserve. Although illegal harvesting and other activities that degrade the forest habitat may lessen any benefits this bestows, this species is more tolerant of forest disturbance than other leaf chameleons.

#Wildlife #Rainforest #Madagascar

The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family Herpestidae. Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a close relationship with viverrids.

The fossa is the largest mammalian carnivore on Madagascar and has been compared to a small cougar. Adults have a head-body length of 70–80 cm and weigh between 5.5 and 8.6 kg), with the males larger than the females. It has semi-retractable claws (meaning it can extend but not retract its claws fully) and flexible ankles that allow it to climb up and down trees head-first, and also support jumping from tree to tree.

The species is widespread, although population densities are usually low. It is found solely in forested habitats, and actively hunts both by day and night. Over 50% of its diet consists of lemurs, the endemic primates found on the island; tenrecs, rodents, lizards, birds, and other animals are also documented as prey. The greatest threat to the fossa is habitat destruction.

Mating usually occurs in trees on horizontal limbs and can last for several hours. A receptive female occupies a site high in a tree, below which males will congregate and compete for mating rights. She may choose to mate with several of her suitors over the next week, and bouts of copulation may last for several hours. This lengthy mating is partly due to the backward-pointing spines on the male's penis, which results in a copulatory tie that is difficult to break. Once the first female has left, a new female will take over the mating site. The same trees are frequently used year after year. This mating system, in which a female monopolizes a site and chooses her mates, seems to be unique among carnivores.

#Nature #Mating #Madagascar

Philippine eagles (Pithecophaga jefferyi) are endemic to the Philippines. The species is found primarily in the forest of four islands, namely, Eastern Luzon island, Samar island, Leyte island, and Mindanao island. The majority of these birds are found on Mindanao Island. While the population is fewer on other islands. This is the national bird of the Philippines. Among the rarest and most powerful birds in the world, the Philippine eagle has been declared the Philippine national bird. This eagle, because of its size and rarity, is also a highly desired bird for birdwatchers.

A Philippine eagle has distinguishable long crown feathers forming a crest. The bird has sharp bluish eyes and a large arched beak. The plumage is rich brown overall, and the feathers are pale towards the end. The wing underparts are also creamy white. The legs are strong with large claws. The bird looks beautiful with a contrasting white belly and yellow feet, and powerful dark claws. The females are heavier than the males. In terms of length and wingspan, this species is one of the largest eagles in the world. It is 60-95cm long. Typically a female is observed to be larger than the males. An adult female weighs around 6.5kg, and an adult male weighs around 4.5kg.

This bird is an agile flier and can fly at a speed of 49.7 mph. Moreover, the bird is said to take on unsuspecting prey without breaking its flight. These birds' eyesight is eight times more powerful than human eyesight.

Philippine eagles communicate vocally and the most frequently heard noises include loud, high-pitched whistles ending with inflections in pitch. When begging for food, juveniles are known to produce a series of high-pitched calls.

Philippine eagles are generally solitary and spend time singly on in breeding pairs. They are active during the day and at night they rest. Philippine eagles primarily use two hunting techniques. One is still-hunting, in which they watch for prey activity while sitting almost motionlessly on a branch near the canopy. The other is perch-hunting, which entails periodically gliding from one perch to another. While perch-hunting, they often work their way gradually down from the canopy on down the branches, and if not successful in finding prey in their initial foray, they fly or circle back up to the top of the trees to work them again.

The Philippine eagle is at the top of the food chain. These birds of prey are carnivorous, and these birds’ diet includes many animals. Their diet includes monkeys, birds, flying foxes, giant cloud rats, Asian palm civets, flying squirrels, tree squirrels, fruit bats, reptiles (large snakes and lizards), and even other birds of prey. They will also feed on flying lemurs in some locations and have been reported to capture even young pigs and small dogs.

Philippine eagles are monogamous and once paired, a couple remains together for the rest of their lives. If one dies, the remaining eagle often searches for a new mate to replace the one lost. The Philippine eagle reproduces by sexual reproduction. The female reaches sexual maturity at the age of five, and the male bird reaches sexual maturity at seven years of age. They build their nests on trees and need a large area to rear their young ones. A female lays a single egg in the nest after breeding. Both partners incubate the egg for around two months. After the eaglet hatches out, the male eagle does the hunting and feeds the young for more than a month while the female sticks around the nest, protecting it. But as such, the eaglet stays with its parents for more than a year and a half before being on its own. This is the reason this eagle species breeding season is in alternate years. And the rate of growth in their population is also low since birds lay a single egg only in alternate years. They are monogamous species and mate for a lifetime. And if one of the partners dies for some reason, they search for a new mate. Each breeding pair requires a large home range to successfully raise a chick, thus the species is extremely vulnerable to deforestation.

According to the IUCN Red List, the conservation status of the Philippine eagle is Critically Endangered. At the top of the food chain, the species are an important part of the ecosystem creating a subtle balance in its territory. Humans are the major threat to this species. Massive deforestation in their range has been done, causing the population decline of these birds due to habitat loss. The killing of this bird is a punishable offense in the Philippines. Killing a Philippine eagle is punishable under Philippine law by up to 12 years in prison and heavy fines.

#Wildlife #Monkey #Rainforest

A central problem facing many Latin American countries is how to balance competing interests. Some countries in the region are attempting to restrict economic development until they can find the right balance between economic growth and the preservation of the rainforests.

Rainforests help to regulate the earth's climate. They do this by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. As the forests disappear, however, much less carbon dioxide is absorbed. The carbon dioxide that is not absorbed builds up in the atmosphere. This buildup prevents heat from escaping into space. The temperature of the atmosphere begins to rise, and weather patterns start to change.

Although the world's rain forests cover about 6 percent of the earth's surface, they are home to an estimated 50 percent of the world's plant and animal species. Medical researchers are developing the processes needed to make use of the many plants that rainforest dwellers have harvested for thousands of years. The forest dwellers have used these plants to make medicines that heal wounds and cure disease. What is lost as the rain forests disappear is more than biodiversity and a stable environment. The rainforests also hold secrets of nature that might improve and extend the quality of people's lives.

Some people think that since the economic gain is at the heart of rainforest destruction, the affected governments should be paid to preserve the forests. One such plan is known as Debt-for-nature swaps (DNS).

Many Latin American nations are burdened by tremendous debt. They've borrowed money to improve living conditions, and now they are struggling to pay it back. In a debt–for–nature swap, an environmental organization agrees to pay off a certain amount of government debt. In return, the government agrees to protect a certain portion of the rainforest. Governments get debt relief; environmentalists get rainforest preservation.

This approach was successful in Bolivia. There, an international environmental group paid off some government debt in exchange for the protection of an area of forest and grassland. The movement to preserve the rainforests has many supporters in the region, as well as around the world. The battle to preserve the rainforests may be one in which everybody wins.

#Nature #AmazonRainforest #Animal