The lion tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) is a species of monkey that is exclusively found in the southern region of India. It is rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN.
Physical Features
The lion tailed macaque is a medium sized monkey that ranges from lengths of 35 cm to 60 cm. Males are slightly larger than females. It has black hair throughout its body except the face region. The face is black and hairless. The unique and distinct feature of the lion tailed macaque is its mane. Its silver white mane distinguishes it from the otherwise similar Nilgiri Langur.
Distribution and Habitat
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| A lion tailed macaque |
The lion tailed macaque is restricted to the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats range in southern India. Majority of the population is present in Kerala, India. Other populations are present in the Anamalai hills of Tamil Nadu and the Western Ghats section of Karnataka. The Silent Valley National Park is a famous stronghold of the lion tailed macaque. Lion tailed macaques live in evergreen forests that can be 1700 m above mean sea level. They require isolated environments which is one of the key reasons for a decline in their numbers. The estimated population is said to be about 4000 individuals. Habitat encroachment and destruction is the main threat to the population.
Behaviour
The lion tailed macaque is a social animal and live in groups that may consist of 10 to 60 individuals. Lesser the region is disturbed by humans, smaller the group size. They are mainly arboreal and spend most of their time in the upper canopy of evergreen forests. Unlike other macaques like the rhesus macaque, the avoid humans. Their cries have a uncanny resemblance to that of humans. They may become aggressive in case of territorial disputes.
Diet
Lion tailed macaques mainly eat fruits, shoots, leaves, insects or even small vertebrates. They feed on the indigenous plants and trees of their area but may adapt in areas where logging is excessive. Eggs of various birds also constitute their diet.
Conservation Status
The lion tailed macaque is rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN. Their population has faced considerable decline due to habitat destruction for agricultural purposes and habitat encroachment by humans. Unlike other macaques, they avoid humans and hence do not reside in agricultural lands. They were once rated as one of the most endangered primates in the world but now, thanks to severe measures taken by the Indian government to protect this species, they are off that list.
The Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) is a species of lizard found in North America. It is one of the very few venomous lizards in the world.
Physical Features
The Gila monster is a stout lizards and can reach lengths of 2 feet. They have a rounded head and their body has patches of orange, yellow and black which helps it camouflage in the desert environment. They have powerful limbs with long claws while their tail is fat and short. They can weigh anywhere between 300 grams to 700 grams while the largest specimen reported was 2.3 kilograms.
Venom
The Gila Monster is one of the two venomous lizards of North America, the other one being the Beaded lizard. The Gila monster's venom is a neurotoxin and is said to be as toxic as a coral snake's venom. However a bite delivered from the Gila Monster to an adult, healthy human is not fatal as it produces the venom in very minute quantities. There are no reported cases of human deaths from Gila monster bites. The venom of a Gila monster is found to have proteins which are effective in the treatment of type-2 diabetes.
Distribution and Habitat
The Gila Monster is confined to the south western parts of the United Sates of America and the north western parts of Mexico. They inhabit dry grasslands, foothills of mountains and succulent desert.
Diet
The Gila monster mainly feeds on the eggs of birds and reptiles. They also feed on insects and small mammals.
Behavior
The Gila monster Changes its time of activity depending upon the season and temperatures. It spends most of its time burrowing. It is generally sluggish and shy which is why there are not many cases of Gila monster bites.
Conservation Status
The Gila monster is rated as 'Near Threatened' by the IUCN. It has suffered a population decline over the past couple of decades. It faces threats from habitat destruction and illegal pet trading. Large parts of their habitat has disappeared due to urbanization and agriculture.
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The Malabar giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) is a large species of squirrel native to India. It is one of the largest species of squirrels in the world.
Physical Features
The malabar giant squirrels have a black or maroon back with its ventral side, face and tail being cream or buff. Its body length can be anywhere between 30cm-50cm while its tail is around 2 feet long.
Behavior
The malabar giant squirrel is generally active in the evening as well as in the early hours of the morning. They spend most of their time on trees and are seldom seen on the forest floor. When threatened they freeze or lie flat against a tree. They are very shy animals. They are generally solitary except during breeding season.
Diet
The malabar giant squirrel primarily feeds on fruits, making it a herbivore.
Distribution and Habitat
Malabar giant squirrels generally inhabit mixed deciduous forests and moist evergreen forests with high canopies. A large portion of their population is present in the forests of Peninsular India, in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Conservation Status
The malabar giant squirrel is rated as 'Least Concern' by the IUCN. However, its population is threatened by illegal pet trade, habitat destruction and hunting. It is a protected species and is the state animal of the Indian state, Maharashtra.
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large cat species inhabiting the Himalayas. It is rated as "Endangered" by the IUCN.
Taxonomy
For longtime, the classification of the snow leopard was a dispute. In the past it was placed under its own genus Uncia. Many scientists were against that and thought that it should be placed under the the genus of Panthera, which contained the big cats (tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar). However, a scientist named Pocock (he described the genus Panthera) said that the snow leopard has certain morphological differences and hence cannot be placed in the genus of Panthera. However, in 2008, through genotyping, it was proved that the snow leopard in fact does belong to the Panthera genus. As a result, its scientific name was changed from Uncia uncia to Panthera uncia.
Physical Features
The snow leopard is relatively smaller when compared to other members of the Panthera genus. Their body (including head) length can range from 80 cm to 130 cm. Their tails can grow up to lengths of 100 cm. Adult snow leopards generally weigh anywhere between 30 kg-55 kg. However, there are records of males weighing 75 kg. Snow leopards have a coat perfectly adapted for cold regions. It has thick fur which can range from a smoky grey to a creamy white and has dark rosettes all over its body except for the ventral portion. This combination allows it a perfect camouflage. Each individual rosette differs from another. The fur on the belly of the snow leopard can be about 10 cm long which helps keep itself warm and live in areas where the temperatures can sink below -40 degrees Celsius. The snow leopard has an enlarged nasal cavity which warms the air it breaths and allows it to inhale the thin air of high altitudes. It has relatively larger paws which allows it to easily walk on snow and its long, thick tail provides it balance in rocky terrain. It also uses its tail as a blanket while sleeping. Due to its imperfectly ossified hyoid bone, it cant roar like its Panthera counterparts but can growl and snarl.
Distribution and Habitat
Snow leopards live in mountainous terrains. A large percent of the snow leopard population is confined to the Himalayan range. They inhabit mountainside grasslands as well as lightly forested areas at altitudes between 2,300-6,000 meters high. Their range includes the northern parts of India, Nepal, Himalayan border of China, Russia, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
Diet
Due to the harsh climatic conditions, snow leopards are forced to have a wide dietary range. The snow leopards feed on any mountains animals like goats, deer, pikas and marmots. Domestic animals also constitute their diet. They also hunt down large prey such as Ibex.
Conservation Status
The snow leopard is rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN. It has been subjected to poaching, habitat loss and prey loss. Most of the population has been wiped out from Russia due to poaching for their fur. The current population is estimated to be about 6000 individuals. It is a highly protected species and its hunting has been banned in most of the countries. It is the national animal of Afghanistan and the National Heritage animal of Pakistan.
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