Tlamatcanemiliztli
'Peace' in the Aztec (Nahuatl) language
spoken in Guatemala
That's a mouthful!!!
child in El Barranco Pueblo, Guatemala
I have been reading the news today.
Mistake.
It gets so depressing sometimes!
I read the article about mistreated turkeys at the Butterball factories.
Depressing.
You can find more about the investigation here:
I get discouraged about the people that do the mistreating.
What are they thinking?
Are they so dulled by life
that they fail to respect life?
What kind of people are these in their homes?
Their families?
Their friends?
Well, enough about that (heavy sigh).
I am glad that there are organizations like Mercy for Animals who get mad,
fund secret videos
and encourage an active role in being aware about our surroundings,
and the impact that each and every one of us has on the world around us.
'Mother says Eat Your Vegetables'
original Collage Art Doll by inkspired
So, about 45 minutes ago
(slow, slow, grrrr...grrrr...)
I decided to publish a blog I have been thinking about for a couple of months.
Endangered Species
On June 19, 2012 the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
gave their latest updates.
This is the world's most widely recognized list of the world's
endangered and threatened species.
Out of almost 64,000 species examined worldwide,
almost a third of them are threatened with extinction.
wow.
Sumatran tiger and cub
Oklahoma City Zoo, 2011
picture credit: Jim Beckel
Did you know that if you are 50 yrs or older,
that before you die (average)
the Sumatran Tiger in the wild will be extinct?
No more beautiful pictures of tigers in the wild....
seeing them in their natural habitats
and free.
That means if I ever have grandchildren
(which I am NOT pressuring my son about)
they will be born into a world with no wild tigers.
heavy sigh
courtesy of Dover
Now, I think if you have read any news other than the sports columns
and the headlines of the day,
you should be aware of the sad struggle of the tiger.
But
I bet you haven't heard of some of these!
I hadn't!
the Hula-painted frog
photo credit: Oz Rittner
Now, I had never heard of the hula-painted frog,
have you?
Not only are they 'endangered',
but scientists thought they were already extinct!
Yeah, I think that qualifies for 'critically endangered', don't you?!!
I know there are frog-lovers out there,
as my past blogs on frogs are still viewed today.
However, they are not all 'cute'.
The hula-painted frog falls in that 'not-so-cute' category, I think.
Disney's 'The Princess and the Frog'
FROG FACTS:
according to the IUCN's list
41% of amphibian species are threatened.
That's about 41% too many for me!
Now, I understand it is much easier to relate to endangered species such as the Mountain Gorilla, or even the Sumatran Rhino.
They can be kinda' cute!
Critically Endangered Sumatran Rhino with 5 day old baby.
This baby is only the 5th rhino baby born in captivity
in 123 years.
But here are some not-so-cute species on the
critically endangered red list
and
the vulnerable endangered red list.
Oh, and some of them aren't even 'animals'!!
Thing I learned today:
the multiple of 'mollusc' is 'molluscs'
and 'mollusk' is nowhere to be found!!!
In Africa 42% of ALL freshwater molluscs
are globally threatened.
In Europe the percentage is 68%.
I never really thought about molluscs before -
Especially as being endangered!
A bi-valve mollusc actually has an important job to do-
They (and many wetland plants) have
'The Water Filtration Service-persons' job.
What' that?
It means they provide clean water.
Hmmm...now that's something I can understand...
The King Cobra
photo credit: Bosse Jonsson
Status:
vulnerable
due to loss of habitat,
and
over-exploitation for medicinal purposes
Now, I can't say I even tolerate snakes very well,
but I do know that without snakes
we would have a bunch-a-bunch-a mice, rats,
and other less desirable critters
running all around where we don't want them to be!
Here's another super duper man-helper -
Posted by BuzzFeed, Pinterest
18% of bats worldwide are threatened.
Bats are very good at being
'Pollinator Supermans'!
They also eat a TON of insects,
like nasty mosquitoes.
Hey, we should all have a bat house or two in our yards,
as free, energy-efficient bug zappers!
Camouflage Grouper
photo credit Stanley Shea
Status:
very vulnerable
due to over-fishing
and loss of habitat
18% of all groupers are threatened
Large reef fish, such as the grouper
feed more than 275 million people.
also
the Giant Australian cuttlefish
photo credit: Roger Hanlon
Of the 1900 species new to the red list
the giant Australian cuttlefish is one of them.
"A sustainable future cannot be achieved without conserving
biological diversity -
animal and plant species,
their habitats and their genes -
not only for nature itself,
but also for all 7 billion people
who depend on it."
- Julia Marton-Lefevre,
director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature
and now for some 'pretty' species -
pink-throated brilliant hummingbird
photo credit: Chris Sloan
status:
vulnerable
Known for pollinating,
the hummingbird family
has 4 species that are now at greater risk of extinction.
Job description:
eat insects
get pollen on your beak,
and distribute pollen to other flowers for pollinating
look pretty
delight children
eat more insects
a vintage song sheet cover, published in 1906
courtesy of the Indiana Music Libraries
see web site add to the right of my blog
Bird Fun Fact:
One third of the world's food depends on pollination
distributed by birds, bats and other buggies.
This includes 87 of the world's leading food crops.
Well, that's enough
endangered
vulnerable
critically endangered
and
threatened of extinction
that I can have in one day.
I hope you have enjoyed today's blog,
and that perhaps you have learned about a couple of species
that you didn't know about before,
and that you are now thinking,
perhaps,
of what you can do to make our world a better place.
That would just thrill me!
Also, I hope you enjoy the coloring page,
and really great photos!!!!
:0)
