Some cool endangered species of animals images:
NYC - Bronx - Bronx Zoo: Jungle World - Black panther
Image by wallyg
The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the four 'big cats' of the genus Panthera. Originally, it was thought that a leopard was a hybrid between a lion and a panther, and the leopard's common name derives from this belief; leo is the Greek and Latin word for lion (Greek leon, λέων) and pard is an old term meaning panther. In fact, a "panther" can be any of several species of large felid. In North America, panther means cougar and in South America a panther is a jaguar. Elsewhere in the world a panther is a leopard. Early naturalists distinguished between leopards and panthers not by colour (a common misconception), but by the length of the tail — panthers having longer tails than leopards.
A black panther is a melanistic leopard. These have mutations that cause them to produce more black pigment (eumelanin) than orange-tan pigment (pheomelanin). This results in a chiefly black coat, though the spotted pattern is still visible. especially from certain angles where the effect is that of printed silk. A black panther is able to hunt and kill animals outweighing them by more than 1,350 pounds but this is rare because of competition from tigers and lions.
Black leopards are reported from most densely-forested areas in south-western China, Burma, Assam and Nepal; from Travancore and other parts of southern India and are said to be common in Java and the southern part of the Malay Peninsula where they may be more numerous than spotted leopards. They are less common in tropical Africa, but have been reported from Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia), the forests of Mount Kenya and the Aberdares.
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The Bronx Zoo, located within the Bronx Park, is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising 265 acres of parklands and naturalistic habitats and home to over 4,000 animals. Focused on conservation, it opened on November 8, 1899, with 22 exhibits, 843 animals. The zoo's origins date back to 1895, with the establishment of the New York Zoological Society (NYZS), renamed Wild Conservation Society (WCS) in 1993. Only the outer structure of the World of Reptiles remains much as it was in 1899. With the 1941 opening of African Plains, the Bronx Zoo was one of the first U.S. zoos to move away from cages and exhibit animals in naturalistic habitats.
Jungle City Edinburgh 01
Image by byronv2
big cat in Princes Street Gardens
These are all part of the Jungle City organisation, which is debuting in Edinburgh for a couple of months and will move to various cities around the world. There are statues all decorated by different artists all over the place (there's a map on the site), small versions are available to buy as are the actual full size statues, to raise money for wildlife charities and to raise awarness of some of the magnificent species we're endangering: www.jungle-city.org/
Speke's Gazelle (Gazella spekei)
Image by 5of7
Speke's Gazelle (Gazella spekei) is the smallest of the gazelle species. It is confined to the horn of Africa where it inhabits stony brush, grass steppes, and semi deserts. Severe habitat fragmentation means it is now impossible to assess the natural migratory or nomadic patterns of G. spekei. Its numbers are under threat, and despite an increase in population it was announced by the IUCN in 2007 that its status had risen from vulnerable to endangered. Captive population is maintained, and the wild population exists in the lower ten thousands. This photo was taken at the Phoenix Zoo on March 12, 2011.
