The Junior Age

Category: Animals

Elephant: The Largest Land Mammal

Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world. They are mostly found in Africa and Asia. There are three different species of elephant – the African Savannah elephant, the African Forest elephant and the Asian elephant. The African elephant is slightly larger than the Asian elephant and they have certain distinctive features.

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Interesting Facts on Elephants

The African Forest elephant is now listed as Critically Endangered, the African Savannah elephant and the Asian elephant are now listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. For more details refer to the Special Report on page 4.

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Did you know that the African elephants have large cars shaped like the continent of Africa? Whereas, the Asian elephants have smaller ears shaped like India.

The elephant tusks are enlarged incisor teeth that usually appear when the elephant is 2 years old. The elephant tusks never stop growing.

Female elephants live in a herd with other female elephants and calves. Male ele-phants usually live alone.

Research suggests that elephants can recognise themselves in a mirror. This ability to distinguish oneself from others is seen in humans and chimpanzees.

It’s crazy but true that elephants spend 12 to 18 hours a day eating grass, plants and fruits. Elephants are herbivorous.

August 12 is World Elephant Day!

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Giraffe : The Tallest Land Animal

Giraffes are gentle mammals. Giraffes are commonly found in the dry savannah region of Africa. An adult giraffe can grow up to 5.5m tall, that’s taller than 3 adult humans put together. Giraffes are herbivores and can eat more than 40kg of food in a day. Their long necks help them reach taller trees to eat leaves and also helps them to look out for their enemies. 

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Did You Know? 

1. Giraffes are social animals and typically live in a group of 15 members, called Tower. 

2. The tongue of a giraffe is more than 18 inches long. 

3. Giraffes can run at a speed of 56km per hour, faster than a horse. 

4. At the time of birth, a baby giraffe called calf, is 6 feet tall. They can stand and walk as soon as they are born. 

5. Even though a giraffe has a very long neck, it has only 7 neck bones. Did you know that even humans have 7 neck bones?

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The World’s Most Endangered Monkeys and Apes

A new report titled “Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates 2023–2025” has identified the 25 most endangered primate species across Africa, Asia, Madagascar, and South America. The research, conducted between 2023 and 2025, calls for urgent global conservation measures. This list of the world’s 25 most endangered primates has been compiled by the Primate Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the International Primatological Society, in collaboration with Re:wild. The most endangered ape species on the list is the Tapanuli orangutan on Sumatra, with only around 800 individuals remaining – having only been discovered in 2017. The report aims to help save these animals by encouraging governments and people to protect their habitats and stop hunting them. For example, after a primate was added to the list, Brazil created a special protected area for it. Scientists hope this list will make more people care about these animals, help raise money for their protection, and inspire students to study and save them. Protecting primates also means protecting the forests where many other animals live.

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Why Are These Primates Endangered?

  • Habitat destruction 
  • Hunting 
  • Climate change 
  • Illegal wildlife trade 

What About India?

Two monkeys from India and Bangladesh were considered for the list but did not make it:

  • Phayre’s Langur: A leaf-eating monkey that is endangered because its forest home is shrinking, and it’s hunted and traded illegally.
  • Western Hoolock Gibbon: An ape found in northeast India and Bangladesh, also endangered because its home is being destroyed and it’s hunted.

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The species has been listed as Endangered’ for two decades on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Also Watch full video Interesting Facts About Lions

Saving The Northern White Rhino

Who Are the Northern White Rhinos?

The northern white rhinoceros is one of the largest and rarest land mammals, native to East and Central Africa. Once numbering in the thousands, their population has drastically declined due to poaching and habitat loss. Today, only two known females remain: Najin and Fatu, both residing under 24-hour protection at a conservancy in Kenya. Scientists are worried that this amazing animal will disappear forever, since conventional breeding techniques to bring them back from the brink of extinction are no longer an option.

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Also Watch full video Interesting Facts About Lions

How are Scientists Helping?

An international team of scientists at Scripps Research, the SanDiego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, and other collaborators have mapped the entire genome of a northern white rhino.This represents a crucial step toward bringing the critically endangered species back from the edge using advanced reproductive technologies. “What’s so exciting about this milestone is that we’re getting closer to being able to rescue animals that otherwise might go extinct during our lifetimes“, says co-senior author Jeanne Loring, Professor Emeritus at Scripps Research and a research fellow at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “This is great progress not only for white rhinos, but for the entire field of animal Conservation“.

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Sea Turtles are making a comeback!

Conservationists are celebrating because efforts to protect sea turtles have helped increase their population. Scientists have been studying sea turtle numbers around the world to learn how human activities impact them. A recent study conducted by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group reveals that decades of ongoing conservation efforts have improved the status of the majority of marine turtle populations worldwide. Sea turtles face many threats, including ocean pollution and rising sea temperatures. However, in areas where protection projects have been put in place, sea turtle populations are growing. Still, not all sea turtle species are thriving, and experts say it is important to continue these conservation efforts.

Also Watch full video Fascinating Facts About Marine Turtles

Published in Endangered Species Research, the study titled “Updated Global Conservation Status and Priorities for Marine Turtles” reviewed 48 sea turtle populations across six species worldwide. Over several years, nearly 150 experts from the Marine Turtle Specialist Group, representing 50 countries, came together to evaluate the risks, threats, and conservation needs of these turtles. Surprisingly, the results show that threats to most sea turtle populations have decreased. Now, over 40% of sea turtle groups are considered low risk-low threat, compared to only 23% in 2011. This is a hopeful sign that conservation efforts are working well in many areas. Even though there is still work to do, scientists say this is a real conservation success story.

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Did you know ?

  • Sea turtles have been around since the time of the dinosaurs- over 100 million years!
  • There are seven different species of sea turtles, and all of them are either endangered or threatened.
  • Sea turtles eat jellyfish, seaweed, crabs, and even sponges.
  • The largest sea turtle, the leather back, can weigh as much as a small car!
  • May 23 is celebrated as World Turtle Day.

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