Andean Wild Cat

Today, I will be looking at 2 species beginning with the Andean Mountain Cat (Leopardus jacobita).

The Andean Mountain Cat is rare and lives at high altitudes on the Andes Mountain range.

It lives on the mountain from Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

    The Andean Mountain Cat has a silver/grey coat, white belly, and spots and stripes. Its tail and limbs are adorned with black rings. Although no bigger than a house cat  the Andean Mountain Cat has much more fur and a considerably longer tail (almost 2 feet in length). This cat is on then endangered species list due to many factors the most prominent is Habitat loss/degradation. Other reasons include hunting, reduction of prey, and hybridization. The countries in which this rare cat dwells have put conservation measures in effect which include fines/jail time for hunting these beautiful cats. For                    more information visit Wildlife Conservation Network

Corroboree Frog

This is the first post in the glory of nature. This blog will be dedicated mostly to endangered species. The first will be the Corroboree Frog. 

The two species of frog are critically endangered. Pseudophryne corroboree, and Pseudophryne pengilleyi are indigenous to Australia. They are black with yellow/light green stripes.These frogs produce their own poisonous alkaloids as opposed to obtaining their poison threw diet. The decline in populations is attributed to a variety of reasons including habitat destruction (from pollution, development), a drought cycle that affected southeast Australia. Drought drys out the breeding sites and as a result, less frogs. 

These small amphibians are amazing. It would be nice to have them for generations to come.
-T

Pygmy Hippopotamus

The pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) has native populations in west Africa. This tiny Hippo, like its larger relatives, depends on the water, that is they are semi aquatic. 

Adult pygmy hippos stand about 3 ft high at the shoulder, are 6 ft in length and weigh up to 610 lb. Their lifespan in captivity ranges from 30 to 55 years, though it is unlikely that they live this long in the wild. Like most endangered species, loss of habitat is the reason behind the Pygmy Hippo's endangered status. Losing habitat because of deforestation. 

-T