edge species

The tenth and final poll on EDGE bird species: This time it is a contest between two vultures that have faced sharp and worrying declines in recent : The Egyptian vulture and the red headed vulture. Both species are threatened with extinction due to deliberate poisoning, poaching and the...

Ninth poll on EDGE bird species (only one more to go) : This time it is a contest between two island endemic perilously close to the brink of extinction: The black stilt and the tooth-billed pigeon. Both species are island endemics native to islands in the Pacific (New Zealand & Samoa...

Eighth poll on EDGE bird species: This time it is a contest between two dinosaurian denizens of the South-East Asian rainforests : the Philippine eagle and the helmeted eagle. One is a carnivore and the other largely a frugivore, however, both of these birds are charismatic and both are listed...

Seventh poll on EDGE bird species: This time a contest between little and large: The Somali ostrich vs the straw headed bulbul. Despite the size difference both species share the IUCN conservation status of "vulnerable" due to overexploitation by humans (for the songbird pet trade in the case...

Sixth poll (only four more to go) on EDGE bird species: This time it is a match between the monotypic: the maleo and the plains wanderer. Both of these intriguing species are amongst the most evolutionarily distinct of birds and remain poorly known by science and yet both species have sadly...

Fifth poll on EDGE bird species: This time a competition between the "unlovely" : The white headed vulture or the adjutant stork. Both of these species are scavengers that feed upon carcasses / carrion and so perform a valuable ecological role and both birds have seen catastrophic population...

Fourth poll on EDGE bird species: This time it is a contest between two highly charismatic birds, one of which the subject of long-term conservation efforts that have spanned decades and the other a species which has only just come on the radar of conservationists. Both species are African...

Third poll on EDGE bird species: This time it is a case of classical beauty vs the bizarre and baneful: The Siberian crane and the Shoebill. Both of these species are large, tall and long billed birds that inhabit wetlands, both are deeply significant to the local human cultures where they...

Another poll in a series for zoochatters to vote for one of two EDGE mammal species. This time it is a contest of a species traditionally considered "cute / cuddly" and one typically seen as "weird / spooky": the aye-aye vs the red panda. Both are arboreal mammals, both are classified as...

Another poll in a series for zoochatters to vote for one of two EDGE mammal species. This time the Bactrian camel and the African wild donkey / ass. Both are critically endangered hoofstock which have been domesticated by humans and both native to arid desert environments where they face...

Another poll in a series for zoochatters to vote for one of two EDGE mammal species. This time the giant panda and the greater bamboo lemur. Both are the only mammals with feeding ecologies as obligate specialists of bamboo ,both are threatened by habitat destruction and climate change and...

There are a couple of ground cuckoos from the families Carpococcyx and Neomorphus which are either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable yet these do not appear to be kept ex-situ. These would include the Sumatran ground cuckoo, the banded ground cuckoo and the scaled ground cuckoo...

This is a video discussion by the UK's NERC (National Environmental Research Council) which discusses with a panel of experts the topic of why some species are considered more deserving of our attention and whether we approach conservation in the best way. Link posted below, enjoy ;)

I don't know whether anyone has had a look at these but often on the profile of species on the ZSL EDGE site they post a "survival blueprint" or "project summary" pdf file. These documents outline ongoing conservation work and future targets to be aimed at in the long-term or in the case of...

Another poll in a series for zoochatters to vote for one of two EDGE mammal species. This time it is a clash of the convergents and a contest of little vs large for these two animals. Both species feed upon ants and termites, are largely solitary and are endangered: the numbat and the giant...

I thought it would be interesting to create yet another poll in a series for zoochatters to vote for one of two small mammal EDGE species. This time these animals have some commonalities being that they are miniatures of their close relatives, exceedingly rare in captivity and "little brown...

I discovered a brilliant website on the conservation of the critically endangered Gilbert's potoroo in Australia which is full of interesting information. It was created by the team working to conserve this species in-situ, the potoroo action group. I'll post the link below. Enjoy ! ;)...

This is a bit of a thought experiment that I thought might be interesting to post here on zoochat to see everyones answers. So here is the scenario: Through some miraculous stroke of good fortune you become a multi-millionaire and may contribute a considerable amount of money to efforts to...