Markhor

The markhor (Capra falconeri) is a species wild goat from the genus of Capra. It is rated as ''Endangered'' by the IUCN. It is found in Asia. It is the national animal of Pakistan.

Male markhor

Physical Features
The markhor is the tallest species of wild goat by its shoulder height. The markhor stands about 30 to 48 inches tall (76 cm to 121 cm) at the shoulder. The length of this wild goat ranges from 4 feet to 6 feet. They have very lengthy horns which grow 5 feet long in males. The horns of females are much smaller than males. Their horns grow up to only 25 centimeters. Male markhors weigh 110 kilograms while females weigh only 40 kilograms. The main difference between male markhors and female markhors is the shaggy throat. Males have beard-like hair dangling from their chin. Both males and females have corkscrew-like horns. In summers, the fur of the markhor becomes shorter and reddish-grey in color.

Female markhor

Distribution and Habitat
The markhor is located in central and south of Asia.  It is found in the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, southern parts of Uzbekistan and some parts of Tajikistan.  The markhor is found in Gilgit-Baltistan, Hunza-Nagar Valley, northern and central Pakistan, and some parts of Jammu and Kashmir.  Markhors live in mountainous regions.  They live at astonishing heights of 700m to 4000m (2,300 feet to 13,200 feet).  Markhors live in the sparsely wooded parts of western Himalayas.  The markhor is an endangered goat with fewer than 2,500 individuals remaining.


Diet
The diet of markhors depend on the season in the mountains.  In summer, they eat tussock grass.  During winter, they will eat shrubby leaves and twigs which are found on the lower slopes of the mountains.


Conservation Status
The markhor is rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN. There are only 2500 individuals of this goat found in the mountains of Asia.  Markhors are bred in many zoos all around the world.


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Bactrian Camel

The bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a species of camel. It like other species of its genus, is an even toed ungulate. It is rated as ''Critically endangered'' by the IUCN.

Physical Features
A bactrican camel measures 8 to 11 feet( 2.42 to 3.5 meters) in length, excluding the tail. The tail can be as long as 22 inches (55cm). The height of this camel can range from 6.5 feet to 7.5 feet( 1.96 to 2.3 meters). The bactrian camel weighs more than 600 kilograms. They have legs and a long neck like many animals from its genus. The bactrian camel has two humps on its back. This is why it is also called the two humped camel. The bactrian camel has large eyes and round ears which are small. The have two toes on each leg.

Diet
The bactrian camel is mainly a herbivore. They feed on plant material. A very thirst camel can drink 135 liters of water in 13 minutes.

Distribution and Habitat
The bactrian camel is found in Asia. They are located in the northwestern parts of China and Mongolia. They are also found in remote regions of the Gobi Desert. The bactrian camel may be found in steppes, deserts and rocky scrublands.

Behavior
The bactrian camel is quite social. It lives in herds which are called caravans. These camels are non-territorial. They are diurnal. this means they are active only during the days.

Conservation Status
The bactrian camel is endangered in wild, with a population of about 1000 individuals. Otherwise, these camels have a population of 2 million which has been domesticated.

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European Marmot

The European marmot (Marmota marmota) is a species of marmot found only in Europe. It is also known as the alpine marmot.


Physical Features
The European marmot has a stocky body.  They weigh about 3 to 4 kilograms.  These animals measure about 20 inches (52 cm) excluding their tail.  Their tail measures about 8 inches (20 cm).  The European marmot generally has short and muscular legs.  Their fur is golden-brown in color.  This species of marmot has a short tail.  The European marmot is the largest squirrel species.


Taxonomy
The European marmot belongs to the squirrel family of Sciuridae.  They belong to the order of Rodentia.


Behavior
European marmots are diurnal. They rest at night but are active in the day.  European marmots hibernate for approximately 7 months a year.  They produce a shrill whistle when they are alarmed.  They even growl and screech when they are angry.


Distribution and Habitat
The European marmot is found in the alpine regions of Switzerland, France and Italy.  They have been re-introduced to the Carpathian Mountains which is located on the border of Slovakia and Poland.  They are also found in parts of Germany.  They live in alpine meadows and in rocky slopes with an elevation of about 1,970 feet (600 meters).  They build burrows which are very complex, digging with their forepaws, while their hind legs also help in digging.  Their forepaws will scrape away the soil and the hind legs will keep the soil aside.  Each burrow will have only one family which has a dominant breeding pair.  The same burrow may be used by the next generation.  While digging the tunnel, the European marmot will sometimes use its teeth to remove some small stones.


Diet

A European marmot in summer.

European marmots are omnivores.  They will eat plants such as herbs and shrubs.  Spiders and other insects are also eaten by these marmots. European marmots will prefer to eat tender and young plants of any species.  They hold their food in their forepaws while eating.  Before hibernating in winter, they eat a lot a food which provides them with fat.


Conservation Status
European marmots are not threatened at the moment.  They are abundant in their current range. Their population had declined in the 20th century, but now they have successfully been re-introduced to the respective range.


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Przewalski's Horse

The przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) is a species of horse found in Asia.  It is considered as 'critically endangered' by the IUCN.  It is also known as the Dungarian horse and has recently been introduced to the wild.

Physical Features

The przewalski's horse closely resembles a domesticated horse.  Its fur is a dull grayish brown in color.  The przewalski's horse stands about 4.3 feet tall (52 inches) and measures 2.1 meters in length (6.11 feet).  Its fur has some pangaré  features.They have a dark brown color around the mane on the neck and a pale brown color on the flanks and a yellowish white color on the belly and around the muzzle.  They have shorter legs than feral horses and have faint stripes on their body.  These horses can weigh more than 310 kilograms.

Diet

The przewalski's horse is mainly herbivorous, eating grass.  Some of these horses rest in salt licks to obtain enough minerals.  Przewalski's horses need a lot of nutrients everyday as they travel more than six miles per day with their group.

Behavior

A female horse with its offspring.

The behavior of a przewalski's horse resembles the behavior of a domesticated horse.  They live in groups which consists of a stallion, who leads the group and mares with their offsprings.  The przewalski's horse is diurnal; they are active only during the day.  At night, they all sleep together for about four hours.

Distribution and Habitat

The przewalski's horse is foound in the steppes of Mongolia and China, Asia.  They were once extinct in the wild but were re-introduced.

Conservation Status

The przewalski's horse was extinct in the wild but were introduced to Khustain Nuruu National Park, Takhin Tal Nature Reserve and Khomiin Tal, which contains their natural habitat.  These national parks are in Mongolia.  In 2005, the population of these horses were 1500 which include individuals in wild and in captivity but the population has increased since then.  They are rated as 'critically endangered' by the IUCN.  

 Source of pic 1 and pic 2

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

The Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is a butterfly found in Papua New Guinea.  It is the largest species of butterfly and was discovered by Lord Walter Rothschild and he named it after Queen Alexandra.  It is currently rated as 'Endangered' by the IUCN.


Physical Features
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is the largest butterfly in the world.  Females are bigger than males.  They have rounder and broader wings than males.  The wingspan of females can measure about 1 foot (12 inches).  Females mostly have brown wings with white markings.  Their body is a type of cream-color.  They have a small part in their thorax which is covered with red fur.  These butterflies can have a body length of 6cm to 8 cm which is quite big for a butterfly.  They can weigh about 15 grams.  Males have a wingspan that mostly measures 17 cm (7   inches).  There is a type of Queen Alexandra's Butterfly which has golden spots on its wings.  This type is considered as the most spectacular type of this species.

Diet
The Queen Alexandra's Birdwing, as a caterpillar, feeds on a toxic pipevine plant called Aristolochia schlecteri.  When the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, as butterflies and caterpillars, eat this pipevine, they themselves become poisonous to digest. This is protects them from predators who intend to eat them. A newly emerged larvae will eat its own eggshell before feeding on foliage.  An adult will feed on nectar from flowers.  


Distribution and Habitat
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is located only in a small part of Papua New Guinean rainforests.  It is found in Popondetta in the Oro Province.  It is restriceted to 100 kilometers of rainforest.


Life Cycle

A Queen Alexandra Birdwing as a caterpillar 

This species of butterfly lays about 27 eggs during its entire life span.  It takes about six weeks for the egg to hatch and develop into a pupa.  The butterfly's pupal stage lasts for a month or more.  An adult butterfly will emerge from the pupa in the morning, when the humidity level is high.  This prevents their wings from drying up.  A Queen Alexandra's Birdwing may live for three months as an adult. 


Conservation Status
The Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is rated as 'Endangered'  by the IUCN.  It is hunted as it is considered to be a great prize by many hunters.  It is found only in 100 kilometers of rainforests.


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Greater Bilby

The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is an nocturnal omnivorous mammals found in Australia.  They are rated as 'Vulnerable' by IUCN.  Their range and population are decreasing every year.


Physical Features
Greater bilbies are about 29 to 55 cm (11 inches to 22 inches) in length.  Males weigh about 1.5 kilograms to 2.7 kilograms.  Females weigh 700 grams to 1 kilogram.  There are specimens of males that weigh about 4 kilograms.  Bilbies look like bandicoots.  There are few differences between bilbies and bandicoots.  Bilbies have a longer tail, bigger ears and silkier fur.  Bilbies have an excellent sense of hearing due to their big ears and even have sharp hearing.  Their skin is bluish grey with white or tan patches.  They have strong forelimbs and thick claws which helps them in digging burrows.  Bilbies have one of the shortest gestation period of any mammal.  Their gestation period is 12 to 14 days.


Habitat

Burrows made by a Greater Bilby

Greater bilbies were once widespread in arid and semi arid regions.  Now they are restricted to arid wastelands.  They dig spiral burrows which keeps them cool in the deserts.  This prevents predators from eating them.  Bilbies prefer this habitat as spinifex and shrubs grow there, making it easy to get food.


Diet 

Bilbies are omnivores.  They will eat insects, bulbs, larvae, seeds, fruits and fungi.  They do not need much water as they obtain moisture from the food.  They catch insects using their long tongues as insects will be found in small burrows.


Conservation Status
Greater bilbies are becoming endangered.  They are becoming vulnerable to the domestic cats introduced to their habitat.  People even kill them for their fur.  The country has started reintroducing some population to different regions but it still remains vulnerable.


Distribution 
Greater bilbies are only found in Australia.  They are found in parts of Western Australia and Northern Territory.  A small part of Queensland is inhabited by these animals.


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Jaguarundi

The Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) is a species of cat found in North and South America.  Because of the different color phases, people used to think that there were two different species: the grey one being called jaguarundi and the red one being called eyra.


Physical Features 
The jaguarundi is a medium sized cat.  In terms of physical appearance, it is the least cat-like of all felines and cats.  It has a long body, short legs and a long tail which makes it look like a otter or sometimes a marten.  As they look like an otter, they are sometimes called 'otter cats'.  They do not have any spots on their body and their color is same throughout or sometimes it may have some faint markings on the underside and face.  It has a total length of 54 to 74 cm out of which the tail is 32 to 52 cm long.  It weighs about 4.2 kilograms to 10.3 kilograms.  Jaguarundis can be brownish grey (grey phase) and foxy red to chestnut (red phase).


Behavior and Diet 
Jaguarundis are mainly diurnal, being active during mornings.  They normally hang around on trees but prefer hunting on ground.  They will almost eat any animal they catch like rodents, small reptiles and even ground feeding birds.  Jaguarundis may even eat larger pray like rabbits and some primates like marmosets, which is unusual for a wild cat. Like all cats, their diet consists of a small amount of vegetation of arthropods like scorpions.  Jaguarundis are rather cordial than other wild cats.  They can tolerate close presence of other animals.  They are usually found alone as they lead a solitary life.  Jaguarundis are shy and very cautious of man made traps.     



Distribution and Habitat

Range of  jaguarundis

Jaguarundis are found in North and South America.  In North America, they are found from southern Texas to coastal Mexico.  Their range runs through Central America and then into South America, where they are found east to the Andes.  Their range goes on till northern Argentina in the south of South America.  Jaguarundis prefer to live in lowland brush areas which has water nearby.  There are some sightings of them on elevations of 3200 meters high (10500 feet).


Conservation Status
Jaguarundis are not under any threat as of now.  They are rated as 'Least Concern' by IUCN.  They have a very wide range and therefore are not under threat.


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