Latest EDGE Species Stories
The massive Sichuan earthquake in China last year has decelerated efforts to save the country's giant panda, which is regarded as China's national treasure.The quake had massive implications for the panda population as it demolished a primary food source, inhibited its sex drive, and caused tourism profits to decrease."The biggest impact has been on the food source of the panda, as a lot of bamboo was destroyed," Wang Chengdong, the director of the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding...
As early as next month, Chinese authorities will begin the construction of a new mega-breeding facility for giant pandas in the Wolong nature reserve, says the official Xinhua news agency.The announcement came after last year's 8.0-magnitude earthquake leveled much of their former habitat in a protected region of the southwestern Sichuan province where most of their captive pandas had previously been held.The reserve's Communist party boss Huang Jianhua revealed that the new base would be...
Preference for artificial sweeteners previously thought to exist only in Old World primatesResearchers from the Monell Center report that the red panda is the first non-primate mammal to display a liking for the artificial sweetener aspartame. This unexpected affinity for an artificial sweetener may reflect structural variation in the red panda's sweet taste receptor.The findings may shed light on how taste preferences and diet choice are shaped by molecular differences in taste...
Home-user and SMB Clients in Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Caribbean to Benefit from Panda Security's Product Portfolio GLENDALE, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, a leading global provider of IT security solutions, and Dell, a leading global systems and services company, today announced that the companies have entered into an agreement through which Dell will distribute Panda Security solutions to clients in Latin America. The agreement covers Mexico, Central...
The conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has released the world's first footage of the extremely rare Java rhino near Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park.The grainy infrared footage portrays a rhino mother and calf and a male wallowing in mud holes. Fewer than 60 Java rhinos are said to be in existence. Conservationists said the footage exhibits new behaviors of the rare creatures. "These rhinos are very shy. In the last 20 years our team has only seen rhinos two or three times...
A Swiss conservation group says one-quarter of the Earth's antelope species are threatened with extinction and nine species are considered endangered. Unsustainable harvesting, whether for food or traditional medicine and human encroachment on their habitat are the main threats facing antelopes, said Philippe Chardonnet, co-chairman of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's antelope specialist group. Most antelopes are found in developing countries, which is why it's...
The authoritative index of endangered animal life - the IUCN Red List - has listed more than 25 percent of the world's 91 known antelope species as at risk of becoming extinct. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature said several antelope species are now at greater risk since the last comprehensive assessment in 1996. "Unsustainable harvesting -- whether for food or traditional medicine -- and human encroachment on their habitat are the main threats facing antelopes,"...
The director of Germany's Opel Zoo said the facility's three African elephants have finished eating 300 Christmas trees donated after the holiday. Zoo director Thomas Kauffels said the 300 unused trees were donated by traders who would have otherwise thrown out the leftover stock, Der Spiegel reported Thursday. Elephants like to eat wood, it's important for their digestion because it gives them roughage, especially in winter when there aren't many leaves on the trees, Kauffels said. We fed...
The rapid pace of deforestation has triggered a series of so-called human-animal conflicts in Indonesia.The latest attack occurred on Tuesday, when two women were trampled to death by a pair of elephants on the northern tip of Sumatra island in Aceh province. Another six villagers narrowly escaped with their lives during the attack, which happened after the elephants entered an illegally cleared field from nearby jungle.Just days earlier, two Sumatran tigers killed a rubber-tapper in Jambi...
An African elephant never forgets "“ especially when it comes to the loss of its kin, according to researchers at the University of Washington. Their findings, published online in the journal, Molecular Ecology, reveal that the negative effects of poaching persist for decades after the killing has ended."Our study shows that it takes a long time "“ upwards of 20 years "“ for a family who has lost its kin to rebuild," said lead researcher Kathleen Gobush, Ph.D., a research ecologist for...
Latest EDGE Species Reference Libraries
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also known as the panda, is a species of bear that is native to southwestern and central western areas of China. Its range includes mountain ranges located primarily in Sichuan province, but pandas can also be found in the Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It once preferred a habitat within lowland areas, but human encroachment has driven the giant panda into small areas, which contain forested habitats. There are two recognized subspecies of the giant...
The falanouc is a mongoose type creature that is native to Madagascar. Its closest extant, or living, relative is the fanaloka, but it is distinct from this animal in many ways. Unlike the fanaloka, the falanouc has no anal or perineal glands. It has non-retractable claws and a mouth structure that consists of backwards sloping premolars and canines. It is thought that this is due to its primary diet of invertebrates such as snails, slugs, and worms. The falanouc prefers habitats within...
Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is native to Central America and northern areas of South America. It is among three species of tapir that is native to Latin America. Baird’s tapir was named after Spencer Fullerton Baird, an American naturalist who observed the creatures in 1843 on a trip to Mexico, even though W. T. White, another American naturalist, made the first documentation of the tapir. Commonly known as danta by people throughout its range, this tapir has been given other...
The Somali Wild Ass (Equus asinus somalicus), is a subspecies of the African Wild Ass. It is found in the Southern Red Sea region of Eritrea, the Afar Region of Ethiopia, and Somalia. The legs of the Somali Wild Ass are horizontally striped with black, resembling those of a zebra. Photo Credit: Robert Lawton
The Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemionus), is a subspecies of the Onager. It is found in Mongolia and northern China, and was previously found in Kazakhstan before it became extinct due to hunting. The numbers in China and Mongolia are also vulnerable due to poaching and competition grazing. Numbers have dropped severely in the 1990s and by 2003 the total Mongolian population was estimated at only 20,000 specimens. Poaching for meat seems to be the biggest threat for guanacos in...
