Emergency appeal for cassowarys impacted by Cyclone Yasi
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Northern cassowary from New Guinea, a relative of the Southern cassowary that survives in Australia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Tropical cyclone Yasi has left cassowarys to starve according to Australian NGO, Rainforest Rescue. Cassowarys eat the fruit of from tropical forests, but many...
Find the poison frog!
Look closely to spot the Green and black poison dark frog (Dendrobates auratus in the rainforest canopy in Colombia. See more photos below of the frog in Colombia. Unlike many Neotropical frogs, this species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of poison dart...
Photos: green vine snake
Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla prasina) on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Photos by Rhett A....
Photo: young hippos
Young hippos in Kenya. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of hippos.
What happens when you cross a giraffe with a beetle?
You get the giraffe-necked weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa) of course! This strange insect is native to Madagascar. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of the giraffe-necked weevil (Trachelophorus...
“The Last Lions” trailer
Opening on February 18th, The Last Lions, a National Geographic film, follows a lioness and her two cubs’ dramatic journey of survival in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Through the lions’ story the film addresses the catastrophic decline in lion populations across the continent, which have fallen from 450,000 to some 20,000 over the past 50 years. Shooting took place in Botswana over 7 years by veteran filmmakers Dereck...
The view from the air
Angel Falls in Venezuela. Photo by Rhett A. Butler River in the lowlands of Gabon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Rice fields in Madagascar. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Mountains in Western China. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Flowering trees in the Peruvian Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. African buffalo in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Photo by Jeremy...
More on otters in Jakarta
I had some really good feedback on a previous blog about a family of Asian small-clawed otters that I had seen in Jakarta. A Jakarta resident wrote to me that he had observed relatively large numbers of otters for some time near his home in south Jakarta, not far from the area where I live.In fact, the otters were at one time so common that they used to keep him awake at night with their whistling calls. He used to watch groups as...
The unmissable Shoebill
A shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in Uganda. This swamp-loving large bird is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss, hunting, and nest disturbance. Researchers estimate that there are around 5,000-8,000 left in the wild. Populations in the Sudan still need to be determind, however. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of Uganda’s...
Activism: the great bluefin tuna boycott
Note: mongabay.com does not endorse the action below, but believes its readers may be interested in taking action or discussing the issue in comments. Bluefin tuna. Photo by: NOAA. The Center for Biological Diversity has launched a bluefin tuna boycott after the fish’s regulatory body, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), failed to drastically limit the catch this year. The group has also...
What a face!
A Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) makes a face. Listed as Critically Endangered the Sumatran orangutan is largely threatened by habitat loss to plantations, such as wood pulp and palm oil, and logging. After losing their forests, many orangutans, such as this one, are now housed in rehabilitation centers. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of...
Hairy elephant-relative with baby
This bizarre animal, resembling a rodent, in Kenya is a southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus). Although the size of rabbit, the hyrax is actually closely related to the elephant and belongs to the Afrotheria clade that includes not only elephants, but manatees, sengis, tenrecs, and aardvarks. Four species of hyrax survive today. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of...
Find the chameleon playing dead
Somewhere in this photo is the horned leaf chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris) playing dead. Native to Madagascar, Brookesia chameleons are among the world’s tiniest reptiles. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. To learn more about Brookesia chameleons, including just how small they really are, and see more photos: Brookesia chameleons. If you can’t find the chameleon, it is revealed...
Rarely seen: a baby bat
A baby bat, referred to as a pup, in Brazil. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of this bat pup.
Elephant pair at the Chobe River
As the day ends numerous herds of Africa elephants (Loxodonta africana) come down to the Chobe River to drink and socialize. African elephants are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. They are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and human-elephant conflict. On the positive side, African elephant populations are viewed as increasing on the continent. Photo by: Tiffany Roufs. Click to see more photos of...
Orphaned baby sloth
Orphaned baby three-toed sloth in the village of the Trio indigenous tribe in Suriname. The sloth was clinging to a stuffed panda bear. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of the baby...
Songbirds to eat
While attention in the bushmeat trade is often given to mammals, birds–such as these songbirds for sale as food in Laos–are also eaten in many parts of the world. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of the wildlife trade in Laos. Related Article: Laos Emerges as Key Source in Asia’s Illicit Wildlife...
Face to face
The Wolf Guenon (Cercopithecus wolfi) is native to central Africa. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of the Wolf Guenon.
Golden-fronted woodpecker
A lovely golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) in Guatemala. This species is also present in Texas and Oklahoma of the US. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Click to see more photos of...
Woolly monkey hanging out
A woolly monkey hangs out in Amacayacu National Park, Colombia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler . Click to see more photos of woolly monkeys.
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