What makes orangutan special?

Orangutans live in Indonesia and Malaysia on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. These are the only places where they live in the wild. Orangutans are born with an ability to reason and think. This large, gentle red ape is one of humankind’s closest relatives, sharing 97% of the same DNA. Indigenous peoples of Indonesia and Malaysia call this ape “orang hutan” literally translating into English as “person of the forest.” 

Globally classified as endangered due to their habitat being destroyed, fragmented and poaching, orang-utans in Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) are probably best classed as ‘vulnerable’. Much of their prime habitat has been converted to plantations and the rate of habitat loss has hit a very low level in recent years. There is almost no hunting of this species in Malaysia, and most of the remaining populations are found in forests that are protected or under natural forest management.

Orangutans are unique in the ape world. There are four kinds of great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. Only the orangutan comes from Asia; the others all come from Africa. 

Borneo is unique in that it has three distinct populations or subspecies of orang-utans:

1. Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus   (northwest populations)
2. Pongo pygmaeus morio   (northeast and east populations)
3. Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii   (southwest populations)

Orang-utans in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak occur mainly in the lowlands. In Sarawak, there are about 1,300 orang-utans, almost all in the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and Batang Ai National Park in the south next to West Kalimantan, Indonesia. In Sabah, there were five main areas of special importance with a total of 20,000 orang-utans in the mid 1980s (by WWF-Malaysia working with the Sabah Forestry Department, 1986). By 2004, the orang-utan population in Sabah had dropped to about 11,000 individuals (by Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Project working with Sabah Wildlife Department, 2003). This decline in their numbers in the last twenty years was caused by planned conversion of forests to plantations in the eastern lowlands.

What do orangutans look like?

Orang-utans generally have brown and rust-coloured shaggy fur. Male and female orangutans look quite different - they both have long red hair, but males are much bigger than females.Weighing in at an average of 50 kg, female orang-utans grow to about 1.1 m in height and weigh 30 - 50 kg. Males weigh 50-90 kg and stand 1.2 - 1.5 m tall. Male orangutans grow a beard and moustache when they become adults, some male orangutans also grow cheek pads and throat pouches.

In the wild, orangutans may live up to 45 years or more. The oldest captive orangutan was a male called "Guas" at the Philadelphia Zoo who lived until he was 58 years old. 

Orangutans eat mostly fruit - their favourites are huge spiky fruits called Durian, these fruits smell very bad, and taste a bit like custard and garlic, but orangutans love them! Orangutans also eat some flowers, honey, bark, leaves and insects.

Where do orangutans sleep?

The arboreal orang-utan lives up in trees where they bend twigs and small branches together to make a large nest-platform for sleeping. They are the largest tree dwelling mammal in the world. Adult orang-utans are solitary, except during mating. Orangutans are arboreal, which means that they spend nearly all their time in the trees and hardly ever come to the ground. This makes them different from other apes like chimpanzees, gorillas and humans who all spend a lot of time on the ground.  Orang-utans are not territorial, maintaining a loose relationship in a given area although adult males are hostile to one another. Crowding may cause them to fight over the limited supply of fruits. An adult female gives birth about once every six years.

Do orangutans live in groups? 

No, unlike the other great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and humans) orangutans do not like to live in groups. Female orangutans usually have 1 or 2 babies with them, but males are usually alone.

How many babies do orangutans have?

The orangutan has the longest childhood dependence on the mother of any animal in the world, because there is so much for a young orangutan to learn in order to survive. The babies nurse until they are about six years of age. The young males may stay close by their mothers for a few more years but the females may stay until they are into their teens, allowing them to observe mothering skills as they watch their younger sibling being raised by the mother. Orangutan females only give birth about once every 8 years – the longest time between births of any mammal on earth. (This results in only 4 to 5 babies in her lifetime.) This is why orangutan populations are very slow to recover from disturbance.

Do orangutans use tools? Orangutans make umbrellas for themselves out of big leaves when it rains, and use sticks to get honey from beehives.

How many orangutans are there in the wild? 100 years ago there were thought to be 315,000 orangutans in the wild. There are now less than 6,600 left in Sumatra, and less than 54,000 in Borneo.

It is thought that Sumatran orangutans may be the first Great Apes to become extinct unless people help to protect them.

Why are orangutans endangered?

Orangutans are losing their homes as tropical rainforests are being cut down for wood to make paper and furniture and the land is cleared to grow palm oil, an ingredient in lots of foods. Baby orangutans are also taken from their mothers to be sold as pets.

Population decline of 40% in last two decades

Orang-utans in Sabah and Sarawak live mainly in lowland rainforests but are also found in tropical, swamp and mountain forests. Sarawak has about 1,300 orang-utans, almost all in the Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and Batang Ai National Park to the south bordering West Kalimantan, Indonesia. In Sabah, there are about 11,000 individuals today, the population having declined by over 40% in the last 20 years due mainly to planned conversion of forests to plantations in the eastern lowlands. Drought and forest fires, especially during the El Nino events of 1982-83 and 1997-98, but also 1987 and 1991, contributed to the decline.

Destruction of natural forests and unreliable food sources

Wild orang-utan populations need a reliable source of a variety of fruits and young leaves to survive. They can survive only in extensive natural forests. The availability of food all year round means not all forests can support long-term breeding populations. We now know that this gentle ape can survive only in lowlands - where fertile soils and constant water availability allow steady food production - or where there are several forest types with different fruiting and leaf-producing seasons. There is little point in putting orang-utans where they have historically not existed, as lack of food supply may eventually cause them to die. There are six areas in Malaysia with quite large populations but this does not mean that any one of these places is unimportant. There is always the risk that one or more populations could be devastated by disease, drought or fires.

Maintaining natural forests with viable wild breeding populations and restoring degraded forests is vital for the continued survival of orang-utans in Malaysia. Hence, the Sabah government’s initiative to retain the largest orang-utan population in the Ulu Segama-Malua Forest Reserves under sustainable forest management (SFM) deserves full support. The Deramakot forest management model, which produces controlled amounts of timber for international auction, certified according to international standards since 1997, shows what can be done. SFM could reduce forest damage and provide enough time for the forest to regenerate. In SFM, reforestation is necessary to ensure the forest rehabilitation or restoration take place in any sustainably managed forest. In the Lower Kinabatangan, various isolated forest patches need to be joined through restoration. 

The Harpy Eagle, Panama's national bird...

The Harpy Eagle is the most powerful eagle of the humid Neotropical forests. Its is under threat because of forest loss and persecution from humans. These magnificent eagles only reproduce slowly in the wild with one chick every two to three years, so to expect any increase in their numbers from breeding in the wild will take a long time. Early South American explorers named the bird "harpy" eagle after the predatory half-woman, half-bird monster of Greek mythology.

The "Aguila harpia" is a very rare animal with an unknown population. This incredibly beautiful and majestic bird weighs from 5-9 kg. (males) and 7-9 kg. (females) with a wingspan of 7 feet (around 2.2 m). This is one of the largest of the 50 species of eagles and can achieve a speed of around 50 mph.

The Harpy Eagle's habitat is the tropical lowland forests like the Darien and is geographically restricted from southern Mexico, through Central and South America down to the northern part of Argentina.

In the wild the diet of the Harpy Eagle consists of small tree dwelling animals such as monkeys, opossums and sloths.

Its head is pale grey and crowned with a double crest. The back of the animal is black and its underside is white with a black stripe or band going up the chest thus giving it a menacing look to match its reputation.

There is knowledge of about 35 harpy nests in the Republic of Panama, although there are surely more.

The country is willing to save its national bird by leaving it and its habitat alone, and that's a conscious decision that people have to be convinced to make.

Two eggs are usually laid but only one chick hatches after 53-56 days of incubation. This species has one of the longest rearing periods of any raptor; about 2-3 years can pass between the birth of the chick and the next nesting attempt.

Huntsman Spider (Isopeda Isopedella)

The common huntsman spider is found throughout south-eastern Australia. It lives anywhere, favouring plants which will offer shelter such as ivy. It is very common to have huntsman spiders in urban areas, and the spiders will come inside your house.

These large spiders move very quickly, they are hairy with long legs. They often shock people who are not from Australia, as Australia has a reputation for dangerous creatures. Due to their size and speed, they do manage to intimidate a lot of people. However, these spiders are harmless. The spiders can measure up to 15 cms wide from leg to leg. They have a flat body, which is useful for them to crawl underneath bark and other such hiding places.

They can bite you, and if they do, it will be painful and swelling may occur. A cold pack may relieve the symptoms, but if pain persists please see a doctor.

Mating begins with the male's pedipalps, a pair of leg-like appendages located between the fangs and the first pair of true legs that aid in scent detection, manipulating prey and reproduction. The male drums his pedipalps on a tree trunk to attract nearby females. He then inserts the pedipalps into his mate to fertilize her eggs. The pregnant female then builds a silken retreat where she lays up to 200 eggs inside a flat, silken egg sac. She spends about three weeks aggressively defending her eggs, during which time she won't leave or eat. When it's time for her spiderlings to hatch, the attentive mother may even tear open the egg sac to help free them.

They feed on insects and other such invertebrates.

Hermit Crab Facts

Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea . They are not closely related to true crabs. Hermit crabs are quite commonly seen in the intetidal zone: for example, in tide pools.

Most species of hermit crab have long, soft abdomens which are protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried on the crab's back, into which the crab's whole body can retract. Most frequently hermit crabs utilize the shells of sea snails; the tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell. As the hermit crab grows in size, it has to find a larger shell and abandon the previous one.

Two possible etymologies exist for the name of "hermit crab." One is that their habit of living in a second hand shell gave rise to the name, which is analagous to a hermit living alone in a small cave. The second is that it is a translation of the scientific name of the Caribbean hermit, Coenobita clypeatus, which translates as "shield-bearing monk"; this species is one of a few known to climb trees.

Hermit crab are really unique; therefore there are lots of interesting facts about them. For instance, did you know that some crabs abandon their shells and live without them? Or that crab sizes vary from a few millimeters to giants whom size can be compared to coconuts?

At first, these crabs were thought to live quite short lives in captivity. But, over the years, this has changed. People learned to take proper care of them. Today, if the crab has been cared for properly, it can live for up to thirty years.

Did you know why hermit crab can't reproduce in captivity? That is so because hermit crabs deposit their eggs to the sea. That is why they are only able to reproduce in captivity if there is a simulated shoreline.

There are two most common types of hermit crabs grown in home as pets. The Ecuadorian and the Caribbean crab.

Ever noticed that your crabs don't move a lot in daylight? That is because they are more active at night.

Even though it might sound a bit weird, but a hermit crab would drown if left under water for too long.

Do crabs make noises, communicate? That might be true, scientists are studying the croaking noises hermit crabs make, it might be their way of communicating.

Hermit crabs do not live alone; they are usually in colonies of 100 crabs and more.

Beware of the claws of purple crabs; they can even break a pencil in two!

Hermit crabs drink by dipping their claw in water and putting the drops on the claw to their gills or mouth.

There are over five hundred hermit crab species know today. The ones that can be grown as pets in homes are terrestrial (living mostly on land).

Wildlife Tourism in India

The pristine forests of Namdapha lies in the North eastern most part of India, tucked amongst the hills, crisscrossed by the rumbling Noa-Dihing and Namdapha rivers and their countless tributaries. Located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, Namdapha National Park was declared a "Tiger Project" in the year 1983 and today boast of a healthy tiger population, no doubt, because of inaccessibility- just another reason for it virginity.

Namdapha takes pride in its flora and fauna and it is a dream for any botanist and wildlife enthusiast to be within its lap at least for once in life. It is the only place in the world to have for different big cats as its inhabitants namely the tiger, the leopard, the snow leopard and the very elusive, Clouded leopard. It is also home to the very rare hoolock gibbon-the only ape that is found in the Sub-continent. Countless other species like elephants, bison, wild pigs and antelopes enhances the diversity of its varied and rich fauna.

With the majestic snow capped peaks of the Daphabum range as its backdrop, Namdapha is a photographers delight as well, and its not just the professionals but the amateur who can take pride in the masterpieces that they have clicked. The best time to visit Namdapha is from October till March, but I would suggest, January. Temperature during this time generally hovers around 1 to 5 degrees Celsius and is ideal for conducting long treks deep into the forest. A tiny Hamlet called Deban, nestled in the environs of the majestic Patkai range, is the focal point of entry into the core of Namdapha and the forest guest house out there is the jewel of its crown.

One can just sit and enjoy the dazzling beauty of the winter morning, in the manicured gardens of the Deban tourist lodge, with hot sips of tea, or for the more adventurous, treks into nearby interest like horn bill, bulbulia and not so nearby interests like firmbase can be another wonderful option.

Heavy jackets and woolen jumpers are recommended during this time of the year and if you wish to go on treks make sure that you get yourself a nice pair of leech guards from the local forest department.

Complete details regarding bookings and permits can be requested from the Field Director's office located at Miao, Changlang district or by visiting the following website: http://changlang.nic.in/howto1 .html#touristinfo
If you really yearn for adventure, want to be in the lap of nature or even go on a tiger's trail, Namdapha is the destination for you.

Flora, fauna altered by global warming

SACRAMENTO -- When Berkeley biologist Chris Conroy and colleagues went looking in Yosemite for the alpine and shadow chipmunks, they had trouble finding mammals that an earlier generation of Berkeley scientists found everywhere in the park.

The California pocket mouse, ordinarily making its home in chaparral, was found 2,000 feet higher than where it was 90 years ago. Scientists likewise had to hike 1,000 feet higher to find the wood rat and California vole.

The pinon mouse, typically found on dry, eastern Sierra slopes and never in Yosemite, today is found all over the park, along with another new arrival, the harvest mouse.

Something is rearranging California's flora and fauna, and climatic shifts are topping the list of explanations. Sierra snows are melting one to three weeks earlier than historically, ushering in an early spring and drier soils and forests, particularly at middle elevations.

For the better part, that's where climate researcher Anthony Westerling has found an explosion in wildfires across the American West. The number of wildfires has quadrupled in the last 17 years and the burned acreage has swelled almost seven times over, mostly at middle elevations.

"There's a really strong correlation here between temperature and forest fires, and it really picked up since the late 1980s," Westerling said Friday in Sacramento at the California Energy Commission's third annual conference on climate change.

For now, the greatest wildfire risk in California is on the southern coast and in the southern Sierra foothills. But every computer simulation of greenhouse-gas warming shows higher fire risk in California, and the greatest increase in risk is in Northern California, Westerling said.

If the rate of fossil fuel burning continues to accelerate at its current pace, the greatest probability for large property losses shifts to the Sierra foothills northwest of Sacramento, he said.

Whether there will be forests to burn there is another question. Ponderosa pines in the northern Sierra foothills are getting harder to find where scientists mapped them in the 1930s.

Jim Thorne, an environmental science researcher at the University of California, Davis, compared the latest vegetation maps with ones made by Berkeley scientists in the 1930s and '40s. In Eldorado County, he found, the forests have shifted 16 miles toward the mountains and more than 1,700 feet higher, climbing three meters a year on average since the '30s.

"I think a lot of this might be due to climate change," Thorne said Friday.

Ordinary wildfires are claiming the trees, but Thorne said he suspects the replacement seedlings are encountering warmer, drought- like conditions and failing. Those warmer conditions are apparent when Thorne looks at monthly minimum temperatures in the foothills, which usually are nighttime cools.

In the early '80s, those average minimums for Lake Tahoe in May and October rose above freezing and never have come back down.

In Yosemite Valley, the coolest temperatures in November, March and April went past freezing in or before 1990 and haven't come back.

Winter in Placerville no longer is reliably white. Nighttime temperatures in December, January and February have averaged above freezing since the early 1990s.

"There are no longer any months at Placerville that remain frozen," said Thorne.

The changes aren't unique to winter. During last summer's heat wave, nighttime in Fresno brought virtually no relief, with temperatures staying as high as 90. That makes sense for southern desert places like Needles and Death Valley, but not the Central Valley, said Kelly Redmond, director of the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno.

"That's just way beyond what I would have expected to see," Redmond said. "And we're seeing it all over the West."

Helmeted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops cassidix)

There are around 170 species of the honey eater variety recorded in Australia. As the name suggests, most from this variety are nectar feeding birds. However, nectar only makes up a small proportion of the Helmeted Honeyeater's diet.

The Helmeted Honeyeater is endemic to Victoria, and is also the only bird species to be endemic to the state. For this reason, the Helmeted Honeyeater became Victoria's bird emblem in 1971.

The Helmeted Honeyeater is listed as Threatened in Schedule 2 of Victoria's Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The Helmeted Honeyeater is approximately 20 cms in length (tail to tip). They range in colour from black to olive-brown to yellow. They have a yellow crest which sets them apart from other honeyeaters.

Currently (2006) the Helmeted Honeyeater is listed as critically endangered. There were only 50 of this species left in 1990. The numbers are steadily increasing, but the species is still critically endangered.

The honeyeater is currently found in a captive release colony in the Bunyip State Park Reintroduction Site. They also inhabit a very small range between Ferntree Gully and Yellingbo in the wild.

The diet of the Helmeted Honeyeater consists of mainly manna. Manna is a sap-like substance produced by trees through the bark and at points of injury. They also feed on nectar from eucalypt flowers, berries from the prickly currant bush, insects, spiders and lerps.

Breeding occurs from August to February. The gestation period is two weeks where 2 to 3 young are born.

Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus

The Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.

The Magellanic Horned Owl (B. magellanicus) of the Pacific Andes was for some time included in this species too.

Great Horned Owls are large, powerful, fierce predators, which rule the night sky. These birds possess “silent flight.” This means that their fringed flight feathers muffle the sound of their approach. In this way, their prey never hears them coming. Since these birds hunt from above and behind, their prey never sees them coming either. This translates into some very successful hunting for these big beautiful birds.

Physical Description

Great Horned Owls range up to 25 inches in length and with wing spans up to 5 feet in width. These owls are North America’s largest “eared” owls. The “ears” are actually tufts of feathers on the bird’s head. Great Horned owls are usually brownish with blackish spots and streaks. They possess paler under-parts and a whitish throat patch. Owls from forested habitats tend to be darker, while owls from open habitats tend to be lighter in plumage or feather patterning. These birds have large bright yellow eyes and huge feathered feet with razor sharp black claws called talons.

Family Life

Mother Great Horned Owls lay 2 to 3 eggs in January of February. Both mother and father Great Horned Owls take turns incubating (sitting on to warm) their eggs for 26 to 30 days. The young are fledged (grow their adult flight feathers) by June. Owlets, like their parents, are aggressive and solitary once they leave the nest.

Diet

Rabbits, squirrels, mice, woodchucks, raccoons, snakes, bats, foxes, ducks, swans, other birds of prey, frogs, fish, scorpions and porcupines!