We may be in serious trouble. The rabbit or hare depending on your version might win this one.

One of the world’s rarest species of tortoise is under extreme threat. The rarity is not that this is the one that loses to the hare. The threat to Speedy is from exotic pet smugglers.

Conservationists are fighting with smugglers to keep them from taking the Ploughshare tortoise. This type of tortoise can garner thousands of dollars on the black market. It is only found Madagascar.

Some estimates say there are only between 400 and 1,000 left.

If you ask me, we had better hurry … rabbit like hurry.

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Here today, gone tomorrow and back again today. That’s the story with the Gumprechts green pitviper and a Theloderma licin.

Scientists have found more than 1,000 new species in Southeast Asia’s Mekong region over the past 10 years. A spider as big as a dinner plate, a rat thought to have gone extinct 11 million years ago and a cyanide-laced, shocking pink millipede were also found.

A Gumprechts green pitviper and a Theloderma licin

The species were found in the rainforests and wetlands along the Mekong River, which flows through Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern China. The official number is 1,068 and just some quickies: the huntsman spider has a leg span of 30cm; the dragon millipede produces cyanide (I wonder who found this out and how?).

Scientists also found species in rafters at restaurants.

Lots of biodiversity in the region said the head of the World Wildlife Fund. The species included:

1. 519 plants,
2. 279 fish,
3. 88 frogs,
4. 88 spiders,
5. 46 lizards,
6. 22 snakes,
7. 15 mammals,
8. 4 birds,
9. 4 turtles,
10. two salamanders and a toad

and a partridge in a pear tree.

Discoveries took place on average of two a week for 10 years. And, all was right with Charles Darwin lovers.

Source: Cri

For some of us who have grown up watching the Cheetah hunt down prey in all its splendor and magnificence over prime time Discovery television, it is hard to even believe what we has been revealed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Cheetah – the fastest land animal in the world, has now been officially added to the list of Endangered Species by the UNEP. That means that this sprint king of nature is now on the verge of disappearing from the planet forever, unless conservation steps are not taken with immediate effect.

The UNEP stated that the Cheetah is already extinct in 18 countries that it previously roamed due to loss of natural habitat, hunting and lack of a proper captive breeding program. The survey claims that less than 10,000 of these magnificent animals are left in Africa today, while only 50 of them roam in Asia – a continent where they once were found in plenty.

Along with the cheetah, 21 animal species were named in a UN Wildlife Treaty, including three dolphin families, six bird species and African wild dogs.

The world is currently facing a sixth wave of extinctions mainly as a result of human impacts and despite 100 government organizations and 70 independent environment groups meeting and passing resolutions at Rome, it will be hard to stop the wave if the promises are not translated into action soon.

The cheetahs need vast hunting grounds, good bush cover and the sparse trees to both kill and guard its prey. With humans clearing the forests at an incredible pace and vast plains shrinking rapidly, the cheetah is being driven quickly to extinction.

Even though there are other animals on the list of extinction, nothing will hit us harder than the lack of the fastest land animal on the planet, if at all it disappears. One surely hopes that after this new warning signal from UNEP, the world wakes up and takes notice before that pulsating hunt at 90 mph on the African Savanna is gone forever.

Lovely isn’t it ?

Source: DailyMail

All Images courtesy of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

These are the Pygmy Tarsiers and recently, scientists have found three of these alive in the Indonesian forests.

So what is so special about them? Well, the last time someone saw one of these alive was apparently way back in 1921 and while that does not mean they are extinct, it has been hard to find a considerable population of these tiny cute (or scary, depending on your perception) creatures since many decades now.

The Tarsiers are primates, most closely related to lemurs, and are unusual because of their sharp claws and weight – just 2 ounces. Their big eyes and the light bodies allows them to jump at night from tree to tree in search of food.

These small creatures were believed to be driven towards extinction with large forest areas in Indonesia being cleared in the 1960’s and 70’s for industrial use, but apparently the tiny guys are hanging on, as scientists found them, at an altitude of over 6,900 feet on top of tree tops with misty air around them.

Scientists have tagged the three Pygmy Tarsiers they found and is hoped that more of these little guys are hanging on to dear life. We may not lose them after all and hopefully protecting the Indonesian rainforests will help them grow in number. – via TreeHugger