Happy Friday! Today is the last day of Endangered Animals Week 2012 (as established by umm… well.. only me.)
AUSTRALIA
These wallabies are found in Eastern Australia. They like to sleep during the day and are active at night. The females are pregnant for 23 days and then carry the little joeys around in their pouch for 4 months.
The Numbat is also called the banded anteater. Unlike many other marsupials the numbat is active during the day instead of the night. The young are fed at night and moved on the mother’s back from one nest to another.
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EUROPE
The Saiga Antelope is very unusual in appearance because of it huge, inflatable, and humped nose. They are a migratory species, migrating in the summer and winter in large groups. Their large noses help them to filter out airborne dust during the dry summer migrations, and also in the winter to filter out cold air before it reaches their lungs.
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NORTH AMERICA
The Vaquita is a porpoise found only in northern area of the Gulf of California. They look similar to dolphins but are rounder and stouter. The vaquita is the smallest porpoise species, and it is said to be the most endangered of all marine mammals. Vaquitas have never been hunted directly, but since they coexist with heavily hunted fish they become entangled in nets.
The pygmy rabbit is the smallest known rabbit in the world. Only one confirmed population exists today in the Columbia Basin of Washington. Adults could easily fit into the palm of a hand, weighing only up to 1 lb. Threats to the pygmy rabbit species include habitat loss due to agricultural development, predation, and disease. All pygmy rabbits found in the state of Washington are legally protected.
The Hawaiian monk seal is found on small, uninhabited islands in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Adults can grow up to seven feet in length and can weigh as much as 600 lbs. A number of islands are now designated as reserves for the species.
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Have a great weekend!