Tornado

What is tornado? A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as twisters or cyclones, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology, in a wider sense, to name any closed low pressure circulation. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but they are typically in the form of a visible...

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Flood

What is Flood? A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land which is normally dry. The European Union (EU) Floods Directive defines a flood as a covering by water of land not normally covered by water.In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river or lake, in which the water over-tops or breaks levees, resulting in...

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Earthquake

What is Earthquake? An earthquake (also known as a quake, or tremor) is a violent movement of the rocks in the Earth's crust. Earthquakes are usually quite brief, but may repeat over a long period of time. They are the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust. This creates seismic waves, waves of energy that travel through the Earth. The Earthquake There are large earthquakes and small earthquakes. Big earthquakes can...

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Deforestation

Deforestation has been described as the cutting down of trees without planting others in their place. It is hard to think that there was a time when 90% of the earth was covered by trees, but this was once the case. If so, one asks, naturally, what happened to all these trees? Why do people cut down trees?  Deforestation   The following are probable reasons: a) Demand for land for cultivation. This has been...

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Little Dodo Bird

The disappearance of the dodo bird from the face of the earth almost 400 years ago is one of our most well-known extinction stories. It’s an infamous case in the history of humankind’s relationship with wildlife because it marks one of the first, confirmed instances in which our species completely obliterated another species. However, the Manumea bird (Didunculus strigirostris), a smaller, lookalike dodo relative—it is also called the tooth-billed...

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Northern Right Whale

The Northern Right Whale (Eubalena glacialis) numbers around 350 individuals is the most endangered of all the world’s whale species that travel the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the US. During the whaling days of the 19th century, the right whale got its name because whalers considered it the “right” whale to kill, as it not only was full of valuable whale oil, but it floated after it was dead, which made it easy to handle and process. As a result,...

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Western Lowland Gorilla

The Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is found deep within lowland tropical rainforests. Gorillas are mainly active in the morning, and they are peaceful and very social and prefer to live together in family groups or troops with 2 to 20 individuals. The troops consist of one dominant male or silverback and several females and their offspring. Some males become solitary after becoming adults until a troop is formed when other females...

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Chinese Giant Salamander

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianas) is the world’s largest amphibian, growing to lengths of up to 6 feet. It used to be common throughout central, southwestern and southern China, where it lives in streams in the forested hills and lays up to 500 eggs at a time in underwater burrows guarded by the male. Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianas) However, the Chinese giant salamander is disappearing due to its over-exploitation...

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Kakapo Parrot

The Kakapo parrot (Strigops habroptilus) of New Zealand is a unique creature in several ways. Not only is it the world’s heaviest parrot, weighing up to 9 pounds (4 kilograms) but it is the world’s only only flightless parrot, as well as the only nocturnal one. It is the world's rarest and only flightless parrot, with only 93 in existence today. Found in New Zealand, the parrot has an average life expectancy of 90 years, but breeding is slow, often...

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Northern Sportive Lemur

This species of Northern Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis) is nocturnal, and therefore has large front-facing brown eyes. They are also arboreal (tree based) and move by jumping around from tree to tree. The “Sportive” aspect of their name is derived from their “boxing” stance when they feel threatened. They have pale brownish-grey backs, including a dark line that travels across the spine. A recent report released at the UN’s Convention...

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Black Rhinoceros

Conservation efforts have seen gradual population increases after a long and devastating period of hunting and poaching. Even so, black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) remain critically endangered, with strong demand for rhino horn posing a constant threat to small populations. Rhinos are one of the oldest groups of mammals, virtually living fossils. They play an important role in their habitats and in countries like Namibia, rhinos are an important...

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The Ivory Billed Woodpecker

The ivory-billed woodpecker scientifically named (Campephilus principalis) is among the world’s largest woodpeckers. Only the imperial woodpecker of Mexico, now thought by many to be extinct, was larger than the ivory-bill. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) Southeastern part of the US as well as Cuba. This huge woodpecker was considered extinct until 2004, when a handful of tantalizing reports of sightings in Arkansas...

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Amur Leopard

Due to extensive habitat loss and conflict with humans, the situation concerning the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is critical. However, the fact that its more eminent cousin – the Amur tiger – recovered from a precarious state of fewer than 40 individuals some 60-70 years ago gives conservationists hope. It is believed that the Amur leopard can be saved from extinction if the present conservation initiatives are implemented, enhanced...

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