Silky Sifaka

Silky Sifaka

One of the world’s rarest mammals, the Silky Sifaka or known locally as “ghost of the forest,”  resides in the northwestern mountains of Madagascar and is currently only kept in existence by less than 1,000 individuals. The Silky Sifaka is a type of lemur about three feet long that is known for leaping from trees to trees over distances as great as 10 meters. Their majestic white fur gave them their name for it resembles silk. The Silky Sifaka is in great danger for people are either hunting them for food or worse, their habitat is being cut down or burned in order to expand the reach of civilization on the island.

In order to save the, local communities have worked extensively to dissuade loggers and hunters to put the silkies into extinction. Villagers have also taken the children of villages in order to observe the mammals so that the future generation might have a little bit more consideration for the ghosts of the forest.

For more information please refer to the link below to learn how to take care of the Silky Sifaka

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Saving-the-Silky-Sifaka.html

Iberian Lynx

Iberian Lynx

“Not since the time of the saber tooth has a feline species gone extinct. Earth’s most endangered cat could be next”

The Iberian Lynx is one of the world’s most threatened species of cat. They are usually found in Mediterranean woodland and marquis habitat. The IUCN Red List categorizes the Iberian Lynx as a critically endangered species. The Iberian lynx is heavily spotted and weighs about 10-13kg and measures 88-100cm.

Reasons why the Iberian lynx is becoming extinct is because of combinations of threats:

v Decreasing food base

o   Rabbits are the main food source for the Iberian lynx and with the decrease amount of rabbits because of epidemics it has affected the Iberian population.

v Habitat loss and degradation

o   Due to the building of new roads, dams, railways and other human activities it has affected the environment where Iberian lynx live and has decreased their numbers.

v Hunting

o   Humans hunt the Iberian lynx and have decreased its population numbers.

v Car hits

o   Due to the increase construction of highways many of the Iberian lynx have been dying, because people have been running them over with their vehicles.

If you are interested in learning more about the Iberian lynx click on the link below to get more information or to find out how you can help the species from going extinct.

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/profiles/mammals/iberian_lynx/

 http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/04/07/10-animals-on-the-verge-of-extinction/