Big Picture: Help for America's Endangered Species

Today we are sharing a lightbox of endangered and threatened animals found in the United States. Last week, the Biden administration proposed new rules that would make protecting wildlife from climate disruptions and other threats easier. The rules would make it harder to remove a species from the endangered list, restore protections for threatened species and eliminate a Trump-era policy that would have allowed regulators to factor in economic assessments when deciding whether a species warrants protection.
The proposed rules reversed Trump's policies, which weakened the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration has said that it is committed to protecting wildlife and that these new provisions will help to ensure that the Endangered Species Act is effective in the face of climate change and other threats. The proposals are still in the early stages, and it is unclear when they will be finalized. However, they represent a significant step forward in the Biden administration's efforts to protect wildlife.

Big Picture: Fascinating Frogs by Photographer Chien Lee

Photographer Chien Lee has spent years in the tropical rainforests as a biologist, photographer and guide. With the eye of a scientist and tremendous patience, he captures unique behaviors and adaptations of his subjects. His compelling photographs become only more interesting when we learn the fascinating details in his insightful captions like those shared here.

In today's gallery we are focusing on Chien's coverage of tropical frogs.
Wallace's Flying Frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) is one of the largest of all tree frogs in Borneo. It is capable of gliding down from the forest canopy by using its enlarged webbed feet as parachutes.
Hidden in the dense leaf litter of the rainforest floor, an Amazonian Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cornuta) lies in wait for its next meal. With a mouth wider than the length of its body, and a voracious appetite to boot, these frogs can consume prey as large as small reptiles and rodents.
A Harlequin Tree Frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) female making a foam nest on a small tree overhanging a breeding pond. After depositing her eggs they will be fertilized by the two accompanying smaller males.
Without seeing it move, you could almost mistake the Golden Mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) for a bright orange plastic toy. This is one of Madagascar’s most endangered amphibians and is an icon for conservation of the island’s threatened wildlife. Efforts targeted at protecting this frog’s habitat, coupled with ex-situ breeding programs and reintroduction have helped to protect it from extinction in the wild, but it remains critically endangered and is still known to exist at only two small isolated patches of rainforest.
One of Borneo’s most elusive and enigmatic amphibians: the Bornean Flat-headed Frog (Barbourula kalimantanensis). Looking like the prize-winning stone from a rock-skipping competition, albeit with four webbed feet, this frog’s bizarre appearance is an adaptation for its aquatic life in fast-flowing rocky streams. Despite numerous expeditions to the region, less than twenty specimens have ever been found by biologists, making it one of the least known of all frogs.
An inhabitant of the rainforest canopy, the White-lined Leaf Frog (Phyllomedusa vaillantii) descends to swamps and pools of water during rainy periods to breed. These frogs are branch specialists, and use their highly dextrous limbs and fingers to walk rather than jump.
A newly-identified species of pitcher-plant breeding bush frog, Philatus nepenthophilus lives on a single mountain in the interior of Borneo and has a close associated with the rare endmic pitcher plant N. mollis. The frogs not only lay their eggs inside the pitchers, but also spend a great deal fo their life in and around them as well. Males call from pitchers and dive into the fluid inside to retreat from danger while the plant receives nutrients from the frog's droppings.
In most cases of male frog parental care this involves carrying either eggs or tadpoles, but in a few New Guinean species, such as this Sphenophryne cornuta, actual froglets ride in piggyback fashion. A member of the Microhylidae, these frogs have direct-development larvae which means that the tadpoles morph into tiny frogs before leaving the egg, an adaptation enabling them to negate the need for a pool of water. The froglets will hitch a ride on the back of their father for several days before being dispersed in the rainforest understory.

Big Picture: In a Rut

The changing light and temperature of autumn along with increasing hormone levels trigger the breeding season for many animals including deer. In this gallery we feature white-tailed deer and elk. During rut animals become more aggressive, territorial, and vocal. They may also use a variety of behaviors to attract mates, such as displaying their physical strength in battle. In addition to sparring, bucks also engage in rubbing and scraping behaviors during the rut. These behaviors are used to mark territory, attract mates, and establish dominance. At the beginning of the rutting season, bulls will gather a group of cows and calves to form a harem. A harem is usually smaller than the large cow/calf herds of summer, and it does not include male yearlings. Male yearlings are usually driven off by the mature bulls or by cows who are intolerant of their presence. Scraping is a behavior in which a buck paws a spot of ground, usually to bare soil, and urinates in the area. The buck may also rub his forehead and preorbital glands on the ground. Scrapes are often associated with a low, overhanging branch, which the buck may break and deposit scent on. Scraping is most common during the peak of the rut. Bucks compete for the right to mate with female deer (does). One way that bucks establish their dominance is through sparring. Sparring is a low-intensity, pushing and shoving match that can occur between bucks of equal stature or between a dominant and subordinate buck. Eventually similarly matched bucks will engage in more violent battles to establish dominance. Rubbing is a behavior in which a buck rubs his antlers and forehead on a shrub or small tree. This behavior deposits scent from the buck's forehead and preorbital glands, which can be detected by other deer. Rubbing can occur at any time of year, but it is most common during the rut. In the fall deer are losing the velvet that encases their antlers. Often bulls will be seen thrashing bushes and small trees during this time - they may be doing this to shed the velvet or release aggression. Sometimes the buck ends the incident carrying grasses, leaves or branches on their antlers. Bulls start wallowing in the fall, when the mating season begins. They will find a muddy spot and roll around in it, coating themselves in mud and urine. The mud helps to spread the bull's scent, making it more likely that cows will be attracted to him. The mud also helps to cool the bull down, as it absorbs heat from his body. Bulls are ready to mate for several weeks before and after the rut, but females are only in estrus (sexually receptive) for about 72 hours and can be so up to seven times if she does not mate during the season. In addition, does become more aggressive, intolerant of the bucks' advances and they seek isolation during rut.Click here to see the entire collection.

This weeks Big Picture: Lions Lounging in Lodge by Sebastian Kennerknecht

In the north of Busanga plains in Kafue National Park lies Shumba Wilderness camp. Due to covid, they decided to keep camp closed for the 2020 season. Still, they graciously allowed Sebastian and his research associates at Panthera to stay at their wonderful camp during their monitoring time. Shumba means lion, and Wilderness chose the camp's name wisely since accommodations got a little tighter after day two.

Two lionesses (the Machine and Princess) brought their seven cubs to camp and they had the times of their lives lounging around the luxury lodge. The cubs checked out the souvenir shop, played with a mop and rope, kept watch by the lodge bathroom, and entered the sleeping tents on occasion. The pride stuck around for a couple of days which made getting into the tents a lot more adventurous for Sebastian and the rest of the team. Nonetheless, everyone was quite excited and happy to share the lodge with the remarkable group of lions.

Big Picture: New Guinea Birds

 

On Papua New Guinea's Mount Hagen we track beautiful birds through the rainforest with Martin Willis. A Ribbon-tailed Astrapia mother feeds her young, a Lesser Bird-of Paradise male calls during a courtship display at his lek and we catch the attention of a Brehm's Tiger Parrot in this gallery of newly-uploaded images.
TwitterFacebookInstagramLinkedIn
9565 Soquel Drive,  Suite 202    Aptos,  CA  95003  USA
p: 831.661.5551  f: 831.661.5497   info@mindenpictures.com

Woman Working with Wildlife by Suzi Eszterhas

Good news this week for marine protection and conservation in the Galapagos Islands.

This week Ecuador announced a debt-for-nature swap with Credit Suisse, which will see the bank convert $1.6 billion in debt into a 656 million dollar 'Galapagos Bond,' which will run until 2041. This bond will generate an estimated $323 million over 18 years for marine protection and conservation in the Galápagos Islands.

The deal is a sign of the growing recognition of the value of nature. There has been a growing movement to invest in nature-based solutions to address climate change and other environmental challenges in recent years. Belize, Barbados, and Seychelles have similar swaps, but Ecuador's is the largest to date.

This is seen as a win-win for both Ecuador and the environment. For Ecuador, the deal will reduce its debt burden and free up resources to invest in conservation. For the environment, the deal will help protect the Galápagos Islands, which are home to a unique and diverse array of wildlife. The Galápagos Islands face several threats, including climate change, overfishing, and pollution. The debt-for-nature swap will help Ecuador to address these threats and protect the islands for future generations.
Click on any image to see some of our favorite Galapagos marine photos.

 



Fishing Cats by Sebastian Kennerknecht

 

Big Picture: Polar Bear Emergence

Photography and copy by Suzi Eszterhas

"When you watch polar bear cubs emerge from the den, it's easy to think that their life has just begun.We think of bears sleeping while hibernating, but for about four months the cubs have been busy with their mother in the den. The mother nurses and grooms the cubs as well as maintaining the den, which involves scratching the ceiling and walls with her claws to allow airflow (otherwise, the den would get completely iced over, and no oxygen would be able to get in).When the family emerges from the den the mother will have spent a total of 6-8 months not eating or drinking. The family now faces their greatest challenge: to build up fat stores before the sea ice begins to melt in the summer.But with the sea ice is melting sooner, that's less time for the mothers to hunt -- and to teach her children to do so -- and less time to regain the fat stores they lost while fasting and lactating in the den."Click here for more Polar Bear photos by Suzi Eszterhas

Big Picture: Nesting Season



Springtime is the season for birds to begin building nests in anticipation for the eggs to come.  Nests made of grasses and sticks are typical but have you seen a cormorant using seastars, blue tits collecting horsehair from a barbed wire fence or penguins on nests made completely of stones?  From bald eagles on their nests the size of a queen bed to albatrosses continuing to work on their sand nest while incubating eggs - click on any image to see more birds at work.

TwitterFacebookInstagramLinkedIn
9565 Soquel Drive,  Suite 202    Aptos,  CA  95003  USA
p: 831.661.5551  f: 831.661.5497   info@mindenpictures.com
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)