Roborovski Hamster

Roborovski Hamsters

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Rodentia
Family : Cricetidae
Genus : Phodopus
Species : P. roborovskii

Length : up to 3in (7.5cm)

IUCN Status : Least Concern

You might recognize this tiny rodent from your local pet store, but Roborovski Hamsters are actually native to the desert and steppe regions of Russia, Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Their small size (they are the smallest Hamsters) and efficient use of water has allowed them to live in these harsh, dry environments. They are also sometimes appropriately referred to as the Desert Hamster.

Roborovski Hamsters were first described by a Lt. Roborovski during an 1894 expedition. They were not fully studied until 1903, and were not really imported anywhere until the 1970s. In fact, these Hamsters didn't even appear in America until 1998!

White Faced Roborovski

While most captive hamsters are fed a vegetarian diet, wild Robos are actually omnivores, and occasionally eat insects and other bits of meat that they can find. They are crepuscular animals, and spend a great deal of time in underground burrows that they dig as far as 6 feet down!

Roborovski Hamsters can live up to three years in captivity, and have been bred to come in three different color variations - Agout (or wild), White Faced, and Platinum. They are relatively easy to breed; they reach sexual maturity at 6-8 weeks and a female can produce a litter every 4 weeks! Males can actually be kept with females after they give birth, as they will help care for the young. However, the females can become pregnant again almost immediately, so unless you want a massive colony of Hamsters, it is probably best to keep them apart. Interestingly, it seems that the Hamsters will actually stop breeding altogether once their colony reaches a specific size.

Roborovski Hamster

Roborovski Hamsters

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Mammalia

Order : Rodentia

Family : Cricetidae

Genus : Phodopus

Species : P. roborovskii



Length : up to 3in (7.5cm)



IUCN Status : Least Concern



You might recognize this tiny rodent from your local pet store, but Roborovski Hamsters are actually native to the desert and steppe regions of Russia, Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Their small size (they are the smallest Hamsters) and efficient use of water has allowed them to live in these harsh, dry environments. They are also sometimes appropriately referred to as the Desert Hamster.



Roborovski Hamsters were first described by a Lt. Roborovski during an 1894 expedition. They were not fully studied until 1903, and were not really imported anywhere until the 1970s. In fact, these Hamsters didn't even appear in America until 1998!

White Faced Roborovski

While most captive hamsters are fed a vegetarian diet, wild Robos are actually omnivores, and occasionally eat insects and other bits of meat that they can find. They are crepuscular animals, and spend a great deal of time in underground burrows that they dig as far as 6 feet down!



Roborovski Hamsters can live up to three years in captivity, and have been bred to come in three different color variations - Agout (or wild), White Faced, and Platinum. They are relatively easy to breed; they reach sexual maturity at 6-8 weeks and a female can produce a litter every 4 weeks! Males can actually be kept with females after they give birth, as they will help care for the young. However, the females can become pregnant again almost immediately, so unless you want a massive colony of Hamsters, it is probably best to keep them apart. Interestingly, it seems that the Hamsters will actually stop breeding altogether once their colony reaches a specific size.

Satin Bowerbird

Male Satin Bowerbird

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Passeriformes
Family : Ptilonorhynchidae
Genus : Ptilonorhynchus
Species : P. violaceus

IUCN Status : Least Concern

Cripes! I've never written about a Bowerbird! These birds, found in Australia and New Guinea, may not be as crazy looking as some of the other natives, (I'm looking at you Birds of Paradise) but they have a fantastic skill-set all their own!

Satin Bowerbirds are medium size birds found in Eastern Australia. Adult males are a shiny blueish-black color with blue eyes, while females and younger males have green plumage.

Bower

What makes this birds so interesting is the intricate procedure that they go through before mating. Males build two parallel structures out of twigs and grasses, and then decorate around them with colorful blue and yellow bits and objects, including flowers, berries, and even made made materials like pens and bottle caps. Females come to inspect these bowers, and at that point the males put on an elaborate dance. If the female is impressed, they mate and she leaves to lay the eggs and incubate them on her own. The male gets back to work to find more receptive females.

Satin Bowerbird

Male Satin Bowerbird

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Aves

Order : Passeriformes

Family : Ptilonorhynchidae

Genus : Ptilonorhynchus

Species : P. violaceus



IUCN Status : Least Concern



Cripes! I've never written about a Bowerbird! These birds, found in Australia and New Guinea, may not be as crazy looking as some of the other natives, (I'm looking at you Birds of Paradise) but they have a fantastic skill-set all their own!



Satin Bowerbirds are medium size birds found in Eastern Australia. Adult males are a shiny blueish-black color with blue eyes, while females and younger males have green plumage.

Bower

What makes this birds so interesting is the intricate procedure that they go through before mating. Males build two parallel structures out of twigs and grasses, and then decorate around them with colorful blue and yellow bits and objects, including flowers, berries, and even made made materials like pens and bottle caps. Females come to inspect these bowers, and at that point the males put on an elaborate dance. If the female is impressed, they mate and she leaves to lay the eggs and incubate them on her own. The male gets back to work to find more receptive females.

Black Softshell Turtle

Black Softshell Turtle

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Family : Trionychidae
Genus : Aspideretes?
Species : A. nigricans

IUCN Status : Extinct in the wild

Like the Yangtze Soft-shell Turtle, the Black Softshell Turtle is also extremely rare, so rare that they are listed as being extinct in the wild. There are between 150-300 living in a man-made pond at the Hazrat Sultan Bayazid Bastami Shrine in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and it is believed that there is one other small population in Assam, India.

The Turtles at the shrine are protected, and cannot be killed or harvested. It is believed that the Turtles are actually connected to the saint. Pilgrims offer food to the turtles, and females nest in protected, walled off areas. They lay up to 40 eggs at a time which take around 100 days to hatch.

Not much else is known about these turtles and their historical habitats or wild behaviors. They were already living near exclusively in the shrine when they were first described in 1875.

Black Softshell Turtle

Black Softshell Turtle

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Reptilia

Order : Testudines

Family : Trionychidae

Genus : Aspideretes?

Species : A. nigricans



IUCN Status : Extinct in the wild



Like the Yangtze Soft-shell Turtle, the Black Softshell Turtle is also extremely rare, so rare that they are listed as being extinct in the wild. There are between 150-300 living in a man-made pond at the Hazrat Sultan Bayazid Bastami Shrine in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and it is believed that there is one other small population in Assam, India.



The Turtles at the shrine are protected, and cannot be killed or harvested. It is believed that the Turtles are actually connected to the saint. Pilgrims offer food to the turtles, and females nest in protected, walled off areas. They lay up to 40 eggs at a time which take around 100 days to hatch.



Not much else is known about these turtles and their historical habitats or wild behaviors. They were already living near exclusively in the shrine when they were first described in 1875.

Domestic Goldfish

Pearl scale Goldfish

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Actinopterygii
Order : Cypriniformes
Family : Cyprinidae
Genus : Carassius
Species : C. auratus auratus

Length : Up to 12in (30cm)

IUCN Status : Not Listed

Did you know that  Goldfish were one of the first fish species to be domesticated? It happened nearly 1,500 years ago in China, where they took rather plain looking Asian Carp and bred them down. They spread to Japan in the 15th century, and were in Europe by the late 17th. Domesticated Goldfish can now be found all around the world!

There are dozens of different Goldfish varieties, coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Orange, black, white, and speckled are all common colors. Tail shape is also highly variable, with some being short and blunt and others growing quite long and flowing.

Shubunkin Goldfish

Did you know that there is a reason why Goldfish nibble at tiny bits of food all day? This is because they don't actually have a stomach in which to store food during digestion. Because of this, they have to eat very small amounts several times a day.

Another interesting fact about these popular fish is that they don't actually have three second memories. This misconception has been debunked by scientists and even by enterprising young Australians. Goldfish have the ability to store and recall information, and are able to recognize food and predators just like any other creature.

Domestic Goldfish

Pearl scale Goldfish

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Actinopterygii

Order : Cypriniformes

Family : Cyprinidae

Genus : Carassius

Species : C. auratus auratus



Length : Up to 12in (30cm)



IUCN Status : Not Listed



Did you know that  Goldfish were one of the first fish species to be domesticated? It happened nearly 1,500 years ago in China, where they took rather plain looking Asian Carp and bred them down. They spread to Japan in the 15th century, and were in Europe by the late 17th. Domesticated Goldfish can now be found all around the world!



There are dozens of different Goldfish varieties, coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Orange, black, white, and speckled are all common colors. Tail shape is also highly variable, with some being short and blunt and others growing quite long and flowing.

Shubunkin Goldfish

Did you know that there is a reason why Goldfish nibble at tiny bits of food all day? This is because they don't actually have a stomach in which to store food during digestion. Because of this, they have to eat very small amounts several times a day.



Another interesting fact about these popular fish is that they don't actually have three second memories. This misconception has been debunked by scientists and even by enterprising young Australians. Goldfish have the ability to store and recall information, and are able to recognize food and predators just like any other creature.

Green Peafowl

Male Green Peafowl

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Aves
Order : Galliformes
Family : Phasianidae
Genus : Pavo
Species : P. muticus

Length : 3.5ft (1.1m) 
Weight : 11lbs (5.5g)

IUCN Status : Endangered

The Green Peafowl is a rather large gamefowl found in South East Asia. They are far more rare than the Blue (or Indian) Peafowl, which is commonly kept in captivity.Green Peafowl are known for their upright posture and brilliant green necks.

One of the big differences between the Green and Blue Peafowl is that male and female Greens look alike, with the exception of the males' long tails. Females are a tad more dull in color, but they are a far cry from the drab, camouflaging brown of the female Blue Peafowls.

Female Green Peafowl

Female Green Peafowl live in small groups together, along with juveniles. During the breeding season they are courted by the males who fan out their massive, colorful tails. Pairs do not form lasting bonds, and after the mating season the males molt their spectacular tail feathers.

Unfortunately, the long beautiful feathers and the substantial size of this species has caused them to be hunted. Habitat loss has also affected their population.

Green Peafowl

Male Green Peafowl

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Aves

Order : Galliformes

Family : Phasianidae

Genus : Pavo

Species : P. muticus



Length : 3.5ft (1.1m) 

Weight : 11lbs (5.5g)



IUCN Status : Endangered



The Green Peafowl is a rather large gamefowl found in South East Asia. They are far more rare than the Blue (or Indian) Peafowl, which is commonly kept in captivity.Green Peafowl are known for their upright posture and brilliant green necks.



One of the big differences between the Green and Blue Peafowl is that male and female Greens look alike, with the exception of the males' long tails. Females are a tad more dull in color, but they are a far cry from the drab, camouflaging brown of the female Blue Peafowls.

Female Green Peafowl

Female Green Peafowl live in small groups together, along with juveniles. During the breeding season they are courted by the males who fan out their massive, colorful tails. Pairs do not form lasting bonds, and after the mating season the males molt their spectacular tail feathers.



Unfortunately, the long beautiful feathers and the substantial size of this species has caused them to be hunted. Habitat loss has also affected their population.