Meet One of Australia's Small Masupials

Courtesy of Australian Wildlife Conservancy

I'd like to introduce you to the Australian Woylie. This little nocturnal marsupial, also known as the brush-tailed rat kangaroo, used to nest in over 60 percent of Australia. That isn't the case now! Woylies are critically endangered, and if it wasn't for caring people and researchers, woylies would be extinct!

Woylies are small gray animals with a dark bushy tail. They sort of look like miniature kangaroos, because they stand on their hind legs and have shorter forearms that they hold close to their bellies. They use their long tails to hold and carry the grasses to build their nests.

As with most endangered animals, predators and the loss of habitat are the cause. The predator in this case, is the non-native red fox. Woylies make their nests in clumps of tussock grass, and that makes them easy prey for red foxes. 

Luckily, there are numerous Australian breeding programs aimed at saving the woylie. If you want to learn more about them or find out how you can help save this beautiful creature, you can contact Australian Wildlife Conservancy or Friends of Australian Wildlife.

Remember, when it comes to endangering animals: 

"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel!"

Animals and the Eclipse

Are you waiting for the eclipse? I am! I have my eclipse glasses with "ISO" printed on the ends. I know where I will be. And, I am making sure my faithful puppy, Blue, is safe. What? You didn't know that your animals might need to be protected during the eclipse? Well they do.

The solar eclipse will be here Monday, August 21st. When it happens, the shadow of the moon will block the light from the sun, but your will see a ring of fire because the sun gets brighter. That brightness can make our eyes cloudy and blurry or even make us blind. 

My vet says Blue probably won't look at the sun, but I'm taking no chances. She will be inside with the blinds closed. But that made me wonder about all the wild animals in the eclipse path. 

NASA says that animals may think it is twilight--you know that time after sunset when the temperature cools down and it's getting dark. That makes me wonder if the owls will think, "Hey, I just went to sleep," and swoop out of their hiding place in the trees. And what about the other night creatures? 

Animals like the moths, the crickets, the bats, the bobcats, the cougars, the opossums, the raccoons, the coyotes, and all the little crawly things that like the cooler night air and darkness might decide it's nighttime and wander out of their nests or dens. If you are an animal lover like me, this might be the best time to pay attention to more than the eclipse. Whatever you do, be safe, wear your glasses, and keep your pets inside. Have fun! Oh, and I am back!

"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel to endanger any animal."

G'day, can you guess which country this month's endangered animals come from?

If you guessed Australia, you are right on Mate. Australia is bordered by the Indian and Pacific Oceans and is the 6th largest country in the world. In fact, it is one of the seven continents. It is a special country of dry deserts, rain forests, and endangered animals, plants, flowers, fish, insects, and birds. 

Something has to be done to stop this madness!

I will be visiting Australia in our fall season to take a look at the animals that are rapidly disappearing. My visit will be too late to see the Tasmanian Tiger, the Dusky Flying Fox, the Desert Rat Kangaroo, or any of the 27 species of mammals or 24 species of birds that have already disappeared. That makes me very sad, and it should make you sad too.

My next two blogs will feature two of the endangered animals that I want to see stay with us forever. 

Toodle-oo till next week!

"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel!"

We Could Lose the Giant Panda

Photo by Thad Zajdowicz/Freeimages.com

What's black and white and almost extinct all over? If you guessed the Giant Panda, then you are right! The giant panda is China's symbol of peace. 

When you look at the giant panda, you think you see a black bear with white fur, but they are just the opposite. Their bodies are white, but their ears, eyes, shoulders, and legs are black. 

There is an ancient legend that says the panda was once all white like the polar bear. In the legend, a leopard was going to pounce on a panda cub. A little girl ran to help. The panda cub was saved, but the leopard got the girl. At the little girl's funeral, all the white pandas came. They smeared black ash on their arms like arm bands to show their love for the little girl. The sadness made them cry, and when they hugged and wiped the tears out of their eyes, the ashes ashes covered their eyes, ears, shoulders, and legs turning them black.

At one time thousands of pandas roamed through China's forests. Now there are less than 2,300. These giant bears are losing their habitat and are being hunted for their fur like so many other endangered animals.

While it is true that pandas will sometimes eat eggs, fish, and even small rodents, most of a giant panda's day is spent eating bamboo. They have strong teeth that lets them munch the woody stalks, and a wrist bone that sticks out like a thumb to hold the branches while they eat.

Speaking of eating, did you know that a giant panda can eat 25-100 pounds of bamboo in a day? That's a lot of bamboo! It's easy to see how they can strip a bamboo forest, and it takes up to 15 years for all of that bamboo to grow back. In ancient times, the giant panda would just slowly move to another part of the forest. Now they cannot do that. There aren't miles and miles of bamboo forests any more. 

If you want to learn more about one of my favorite bears, check out one of the links below.

WWF

The San Diego Zoo

Pandas International

"Some people think it's cool, but I think it's cruel!"

Gorillas May Soon be an Animal of the Past!

photo by Rob Schrechise

I always wondered how anyone could fall in love with a huge ape that could crush you in the blink of an eye. Then I found the Mountain Gorilla. They live in Africa on the mountain slopes of Uganda and the Dominican Republic of Congo. War, poaching, loss of habitat, and disease brought by people are critically endangering them. There are only 700 left in the wild. 

American zoologist, Dian Fossey, studied the Mountain Gorilla. She found them to be:

• Shy

• Tree climbers even though they spend most of their time on the ground

• Led by an alpha male Silverback

• Non-aggressive unless threatened

• Intelligent 

• Worth saving

I agree with her. They need to be saved! She lost her life trying to save these amazing animals, so it's up to all of us to work together to make sure Mountain Gorilla does not disappear. Here are some links to find out how you can help.

World Wildlife

African Wildlife Foundation

Bagheera

Hey--and check out my new Facebook page dedicated endangered animals AnimalGirlsNatureWorld

"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel."

Antarctica Fishing Is Over!!!

clipartpanda.com

Every day more animals disappear  from the world. They are over-hunted, over-fished, and lose their homes to logging, climate change, and human building. 

I've been worried about Antarctica for a long time. It's home to over 10,000 species. Whales, penguins, seals, fish, sea birds, and even Krill call the Antarctic home. This week over twenty-four countries including China, Russia, America, Australia, and New Zealand created the largest no fishing area in the world. 

An area two times the size of Texas is now a marine reserve in the Ross Sea. This means no more fishing! Orcas and seals won't have to compete with fishermen for their favorite food the toothfish. This agreement begins in December. 

Animalgirl wants to congratulate all the countries who were smart enough to protect the animals that can't protect themselves. You get a gold star from Animalgirl. Now how about protecting the Amazon Rain Forests!!!

"Some think it's cool to hurt animals, but I think it's cruel."

Can You Believe The Biggest Animal in the World is Endangered?

Can you believe that the biggest animal on earth is endangered? You would think that it could defend itself easily, and it does from predators. But it can't defend itself from humans. What animal am I talking about? It's the Blue Whale and it is one of my favorite mammals.

Courtesy of NOAA

The Blue Whale is almost 100 feet long and can weigh more than 150 tons. Can you imagine? My dad is 6 feet tall. It would take more than 16 dads as tall as mine standing on each others shoulders to be as long as a blue whale. And if an elephant weighs 12 tons, just think of how many elephants it would take to weigh as much as an adult blue whale. It's amazing how big this whale is! 

But this whale is not only big, it also has one of the loudest voices of all animals. It can keep in contact with other blue whales hundreds and even thousands of miles away because its powerful voice can travel through the ocean that far. 

So what does this huge whale eat? It eats krill. Krill is a small shrimp-like crustacean, and the blue whale eats 4 tons of them each day. Now, I like shrimp too, but I can't eat that much. 

Blue whales are endangered because they were over-hunted until someone smart realized that there weren't as many around as there once was. That's when they became endangered. But it's not just hunting that is bad for blue whales. 

Pollution kills whales. Blue whales need a clean ocean to live in. Plastic garbage can take their lives, and so can chemical spills. Noise is another type of pollution. That's right. Noise pollution can stop their communication and their navigational abilities. Some whales even get stranded on the coastline because of noises caused by boat traffic, explosions, military operations, and drilling for gas and oil.

For more information on how you can help blue whales contact Green Peace, Defenders, or World Wildlife Federation. You can also learn more about them through NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) here

Remember my motto--

"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel."