Strange Science

Borneo Island has been making serious waves in the scientific community as of recently - in fact, ever since 1996, they’ve been the source of discovery for over 400 newly-found species of animals! Check out MSNBC’s article on the topic - dated 2006, but a wealth of information and statistics for your viewing pleasure. 

In more recent news, a new specie of frogfish has been found this year, the Psychedelic Frogfish, which has forward-facing eyes and a bunch of other wild abilities! Just take a look at it in action in this video.

The flying fox is not a fox at all; rather, it’s the name for the many species of the world’s largest bats!

Flying foxes are different from most other bats.  They have fairly large eyes for their relative body size, and do not rely on echolocation for navigation and finding food. They have excellent vision, and use it to their advantage! As if that’s not cool enough, some species of the flying fox can grow so big that their wingspan reaches five feet!

Fire fox. Fire cat. Lesser panda. Ailurus fulgens. The exotic and slowly-disappearing Red Panda.

Whatever name you may call it by, this housecat-sized rust-red relative of the raccoon is a handsome creature that calls central China, Burma, and the lofty Himalayas its cozy home. According to Bear Planet dot Org, Red Pandas should not be confused with their giant “counterparts”, the black and white panda bears of the orient. Red Pandas are neither bear nor panda, in spite of similar diets and daily activities. By comparison, red pandas are much more closely related to the raccoon and similar species. The red panda is so unique, however, that it falls into its own category, ailuridae.

According to a sampling of persons between the ages of 18 and 65, not a very large number of people are fully aware of the plight of the diminishing population of red pandas. Some have associated it with a quirky character from Kung Fu Panda. Others assume it is a weird panda that is quite simply red in color. In fact, quite a few people don’t even know what the heck a red panda even is.

When asked about red pandas, Southeastern University student Jennifer Brown replied,

“I actually never heard of a red panda until now, and then when I looked them up online…they are so cute! I just did not know about them. It is no wonder they are endangered.”

With fewer than 2,500 red pandas living on our big blue planet Earth, there is no denying these beautiful animals are under certain endangerment due to deforestation and habitat destruction. Not enough people know about this, or simply are not acting on it. It is possible that 2,500 red pandas seems like a lot - but if the human race was only 2,500, wouldn’t something be done?

Rebecca McClain, a student in college, said:

“I mean, how much more initiative do you need to save them? Just one look at them and you melt. From their unique pelt patterns to those big brown eyes, they’re as exotic as they are adorable. You just can’t help but love them!”

 An in-depth article written up and posted on the National Wildlife Federation’s website makes an eloquent and powerful plea on behalf of these tree-dwelling quadrupeds. You can read it here! It was written by Wendee Holtcamp, who went all the way to Nepal just to study the little critters. Pretty awesome, if you ask me!

Animal Diversity Web has a wonderful variety of red panda pictures for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to stop by and check it out! You won’t regret it.

Below is a Japanese video of red pandas, Fuuta and Fuuta Jr, parent and child. How adorable, yes?

 
If one baby red panda video wasn’t enough to get you saying “aww”, then this should do the trick!

Below is a picture gallery featuring images from Animal Info. Remember, you can head over to Animal Diversity Web and look at their comprehensive photo gallery - it’s well worth browsing if you can’t get enough of these cute little guys!

If you would like to learn more about conservation and protection of the red panda, you can find additional information at the Red Panda Network’s website. Don’t hesitate - 10,000 may seem like a fairly big number - but if we don’t do our best to keep the population secure and prosperous, it will rapidly decrease.

McClain added enthusiastically,

“We definitely need to conserve their species. So little is known about them due to their secretive lifestyles, and with such a wonderful planet we have to protect, we can’t afford to leave any stone unturned. Everything has a story, from the plants and the animals down to the dirt under our feet. It’s our job to listen.” 

So let’s do our part to take care of the natural world around us, in all of its magnificence. If we don’t take care of what we’ve got now, our children and grandchildren will not have the same varied wonderland of natural beauty to study and learn about as we do! Let’s not be selfish, and keep our green earth thriving for generations to come!

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