The harbor porpoise is one of the smallest cetaceans worldwide. It was first scientifically described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. It is a shy creature which avoids vessels. It is one of 6 species of porpoise. Peek-a-boo! Harbor porpoises have an average length of 1.5 to 1.6 metres long. They weigh about 45 to 60
The Red-winged Fairywren is a passerine bird species that belongs to the Maluridae family. It is endemic to the south-west corner of Western Australia. This bird was first described scientifically by John Gould in 1837. A male red-winged fairywren This bird is one of the largest fairywrens. It is 15 cm long and weighs about
Also known as the Avelignese, the Haflinger is a horse from Austria and northern Italy which was developed in the late 19th century. These relatively small horse breed’s ancestry traces back to the Middle Ages. There are several theories as to why this horse was bred including its hardiness and use for mountainous terrain. Their
Algae is the Latin word for seaweed. It is a autotrophic organism that can either be unicellular or multicellular. The most complex and biggest form of marine organisms are seaweed. All algae have a nucleus wihin its plastides, as well as one or more membranes. Algae bloom in the waterway Researchers have found that Algae
Racey’s pipistrelle bat is a type of bat from Madagascar. It was first recorded as a species in 1905 by Thomas and Schwann, but was only formally named in 2006 by Bates, Ratrimomanarivo, Harrison, and Goodman. This bat was named after Professor Paul Racey who is the Regius Chair of Natural History at the University
The Psittacosaurus (or ‘parrot lizard’ in English) is a dinosaur that dates from the Early Cretaceous Period which was about 130 – 100 million years ago. It was found in what is now known as Asia, and is the dinosaur genus with the most member species. There are actually 9 – 11 species that are
The giant fossa is an extinct species from Madagascar. This carnivore belongs to the family Eupleridae which is closely related to the mongoose. It was first scientifically described by Guillaume Grandidier in 1902. In 1935, it was recognised as a totally separate species of its own by Petit. It is not known when the giant
A bentho-pelagic freshwater fish that is commonly found in Europe and middle Asia is the common rudd, also known as Scardinius erythropthalmus. This fish can be found all around the basins of the Aral, Caspain, Black, Baltic, and North Seas. It has also been introduced into Spain, Canada, New Zealand, Tunisia, Madagascar, Morocco, the USA,
The Lower California Rice Rat, also known by its scientific name, Oryzomys peninsulae, is a rodent species from western Mexico. Its known distribution range is restricted to the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Only 21 individual specimens have been collected around 1900. Any kind of destruction in its riverine habitat may have driven
The Northern Right Whale Dolphin is a small, slender aquatic mammal that is found in the Pacific Ocean. It was first described scientifically by Titian Peale in 1848. This animal travels in pods of up to 2000 individuals with other cetaceans within the deep oceans of the Pacific. It is one of 2 Right Whale
The family, Procellariidae, is a group of seabirds that comprise of shearwaters, prions, gadfly petrels, and fulmarine petrels. They are the most abundant and most diverse family of tubenoses which range in size from giant petrels which are almost as big as albatrosses, to as small as prions which are as small as larger storm
Gorgas’s Rice Rat, also known as Gorgas’s Oryzomys or Oryzomys gorgasi is a rodent that belongs to the family Cricetidae. It was first collected alive in 1967 and is only known to inhabit a few locations such as a freshwater swamp in the lowlands of north-western Colombia as well as a mangrove islet in north-western
The Blue-faced Honeyeater also known as a Bananabird is a bird that belongs to the Honeyeater family. It is the only member of its genus, and there are 3 subspecies that have been recognised. These birds are found in southern New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia. An adult Blue-faced Honeyeater The 3 subspecies are:
The Edmontosaurus is a crestless duck-billed dinosaur which was found in western North America. The fossils found were dated back to the Cretaceous Period, during the late Campanian stage to the end of the Maastrichtian stage which was between 73 to 65.5 million years ago. They were one of the last non-avian dinosaurs before they
The Mesopropithecus is an extinct small to medium-sized lemur from Madagascar. There were 3 species of Mesopropithecus and it is part of the sloth lemur family. The Mesopropithecus was originally scientifically described by Standing in 1905. The skull of the Mesopropithecus globiceps All 3 species of Mesopropithecus were herbivores. They ate seeds, fruits, and leaves
