Rainforest Animal Pictures Biography
Named after the dragons of Chinese mythology, Leafy Sea-dragons resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float in the seaweed-filled water. The Leafy Sea-dragon, with green, orange and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages, making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the fluttering of tiny fins or the moving of an independently swiveling eye reveals its presence. Sea-dragons have no teeth or stomach and feed exclusively on mysidopsis shrimp. Known as “Australian seahorses” in Australia, they are found in calm, cold water that is approximately 50-54° Fahrenheit. The South Australian government since 1982 has protected Leafy Sea-dragons.2. Yeti Crab WikipediaYeticrabKiwa hirsuta is a crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. This decapod, 6 inches long, is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae (resembling fur) covering thoracic legs and claws. Its discoverers dubbed it the “yeti lobster” or “yeti crab”. Based on both morphology and molecular data, the species was deemed to form a new genus and family (Kiwaidae). The animal has strongly reduced eyes that lack pigment, and is thought to be blind. The ‘hairy’ pincers contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature may use to detoxify poisonous minerals from the water emitted by the hydrothermal vents where it lives. Alternatively, it may feed on the bacteria, although it is thought to be a general carnivore. Its diet also consists of green algae and small shrimp.1. Coelacanth WikipediaCoelacanthCoelacanth is the common name for an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of jawed fish known to date. The coelacanths, which are related to lungfishes and tetrapods, were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period, until the first specimen was found off the east coast of South Africa, off the Chalumna River in 1938. Since 1938, they have been found in the Comoros, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, among other places. Coelacanths first appear in the fossil record in the Middle Devonian, about 410 million years ago. Coelacanths are lobe-finned fish with the pectoral and anal fins on fleshy stalks supported by bones, and the tail or caudal fin diphycercal (divided into three lobes), the middle one of which also includes a continuation of the notochord.I feel that it is only right to share the top ten, Rarest animals in the world, this is very unfortunate and one of these creatures was actully declared exctinct, December 2005.
1) The Pinta Island Tortoise - The lonely George, last of his kind, there is a reward for anyone who can find another.
2) The Baiji River Dolphin - Found of the coast of the Yangtze River, declared exctinct, experts still searching, fingers crossed!
3) The Vancouver Island Marmot - I50 individuals in captivity, and over 44 pups born.
4) Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat - Scientist belive that, with a heavy amount of effort, 500 individuals may be sufficient to guarantee long-term persistance of the population.
5) Javan Rhino - The Javan Rhino's chance of survival is very slim.
6) Hispid Hare - There were an estimated 110 Hispid Hares worldwide in 2001, numbers continue to plunge, due to its unsuccessful adaption in captivity.
7) Northern Hairy-nosed Wambat - There are an estimated 110(range 96 to 150)
8) Tamaraw - Population was estimated in 2002 at a number between 30 and 200.
9) Iberian Lynx - Estimated the number of Lynx to be as few as 100.
10) Red Wolf - Only over 100 Red Wolves currently live in the wild.
Its really sad that these amazing animals are at the brink of exctintion, and I hope that maybe because I post this, someone may want to do something for them. And even if the Baiji River Dolphin's fate is out of our hands, there are many other animals that have a chance yet of survival.
The "Panama Creature"[1] (also variously referred to as the "Panama Monster",[2] "Panama ET"[3] "Cerro Azul Monster", "Blue Stream Monster" or "Blue Hill Horror"[4]) refers to a creature photographed near the town of Cerro Azul, Panama, in September 2009. After the creature was discovered and reputedly killed by a group of teenagers, photographs of the corpse were given to Telemetro, a Panamanian television station. The story and pictures circulated, and comparisons to the Montauk Monster were made. There was speculation about the identity of the creature, with suggestions including a hairless sloth, an alien species and a creature new to science. A biopsy performed by the National Environmental Authority of Panama on the remains a few days after the creature's discovery concluded that the corpse was in fact that of a male Brown-throated Sloth. The odd appearance had been caused by underwater decomposition, which had resulted in hair loss. Once identified, the corpse was buried.
Contents [hide]
1 Events
2 Speculation
3 Necropsy
4 See also
5 References
Events[edit]
A group of four or five teenagers aged between 14 and 16 claim to have been playing near a cave in Cerro Azul, Panama when the creature emerged.[3][5][6] They say that it approached them, and, fearing for their safety, they attacked the creature with sticks and rocks, killing it. They claim that they then threw its corpse into a pool of water before leaving the area. They later returned and took photographs of the creature's corpse, before sending the pictures to Telemetro, a Panamanian television station.[7] Virginia Wheeler, writing for The Sun, claimed that the discovery "sparked fear and confusion" in the town.[6] According to some sources, subsequent photographs were taken of the creature after it had further decomposed;[8] however, doubts have been expressed about whether the later photos were of the same specimen.[4] A few days after the photographs were taken, one of the teenagers gave a different account in an interview with Telemetro Reporta, saying "I was in the river and I felt something grabbing my legs ... We took it out of the water and started throwing rocks and sticks at it. We had never seen anything like that."[3] The photographs show a pale creature that is mostly hairless, with a rubbery body. It has "revolting features"; a snub-nose and long arms.[3][7] Writers for the Huffington Post said that while the head is clearly animal, the torso is "strange", while the limbs are reminiscent of thin human arms.[5] Writers for WBALTV.com compared it to both a "small, portly" version of the alien in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Lord of the Rings's Gollum's "long-lost cousin".[9]
Speculation[edit]
The story and the photographs circulated the Internet,[2] including various cryptozoology blogs,[7] with a great amount of speculation about possible explanations.[2] A video showing the original photographs, as well as some footage of the further decomposed corpse, became very popular on the web, being one of the most viewed videos over the course of a day.[10] In addition to its prevalence on the Internet, the story was covered on television and radio.[2] Comparisons were drawn to the Montauk Monster found in Montauk, New York in June 2008.[7] A popular theory was that the Panama Creature was a sloth (perhaps an albino) that had somehow became hairless; proponents of the hypothesis cited the hooked claw visible in one of the photographs.[7][9] Science author Darren Naish, writing for ScienceBlogs, supported the sloth hypothesis, but had a "difficult time" explaining the creature's hairlessness.[5] The sloth theory was generally considered most credible; in 1996, similar photographs were taken of a creature found on the coast between Panama and Costa Rica that was later confirmed to be a sloth that had started to decay.[11] Further Internet speculation led to some proposing that it was in fact a dolphin or a pit bull terrier,[4][11] an example of a species previously unknown to science,[5] or some sort of genetic mutation.[4] Some Panamanian zoologists said that it appeared to be a fetus of some kind.[5] In addition to naturalistic explanations, Billy Booth of About.com reported that "there has been speculation that it is alien, and thereby the connection to UFOs, undersea bases, the whole ball of wax".[2]
Necropsy[edit]
The Panama Creature was shown to be a decomposing Brown-throated Sloth.
The creature's corpse was recovered four days after the encounter, and a biopsy was performed by the National Environmental Authority of Panama (ANAM). The biopsy concluded that the corpse was in fact a male brown-throated sloth, a species common in the area. André Sena Maia, a veterinarian who works at Niterói Zoo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, explained that "most people know how a dead animal looks like in a dry environment", and claimed that "the body must have got stuck under the water, and the movement of the currents gave the false impression that it was alive."[3] A necropsy revealed that severe trauma had been inflicted on the body of the sloth, and Melquiades Ramos, a specialist from the ANAM Department of Protected Areas, estimated that the body had been in the water for "about two days" prior to discovery. The hairlessness was probably caused by the fact it was submerged in water, which can lead to acceleration of fur loss, resulting in smooth skin.[3] A post-mortal bloating further contributed to the unusual appearance of the corpse.[1][3] After the sloth was identified, its body was buried by ANAM staff.[3]
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