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Presently there are 38 known species of mammals that are extinct.

There are over 1,000 animal species that are endangered at varied levels, across the world.

Indeed, tropical forest is a victim of a spiritual crisis in humanity. The destruction of tropical forest reflects an all too-widespread willingness to submit to an economic determinism every bit as rigid as that of Marx. Egbert Giles Leigh Jr. (1) Rain Forest Destruction, Madagascar Photo: Jonathan TalbotWorld Resources Institute, 2003 We learn from Columbia Encyclopedia that in very early times forests covered virtually the whole land surface of the Earth, apart from the areas of perpetual snow (such as the north pole). (2) And as recently as 19 th century, tropical rain forests in their own right covered around 20% of all the dry land area of the Earth, but this figure was only 7% by the end of the 20 th century. (3) Probably the main fundamental factor that has been invariably pushing rain forest destruction more and more over the decades and indeed centuries, is the demand for the rain forest as a enormous economic and social resource. First of all, tropical rain forests are “treasure troves of nature” – they contain endless supplies of resources widely used in human societies, such as food, timber, raw materials etc. Second, rain forests cover huge swathes of land. And the land has always been a limited resource required for accommodation of ever growing human populations.

I sure hope this father survived the war and was able to come home to his little child.

The incredible diversity of food sources and unique niches of the canopy trees support a wide variety of animal species. Animals often congregate around a flowering tree, which makes trees in this stage some of the best sites for viewing wildlife. In places like these, where food is abundant, animals set up territories, but since canopy leaf cover affects visual territorial displays, most animals rely on sound signals. Thus some of the loudest animals of the world are canopy dwellers. Many primates emit howls and screams, while birds use song to let other animals know that they are intruding on their space.

From birth, the orangutan undergoes variations in facial structure during the course of its lifetime: at birth its face is bare, juveniles are bearded, and adult males have skin pouches on their cheeks. Orangutans build sleeping nests, 16-80 feet (5-25 m) off the ground, each night and never return to an earlier nest.

From birth, the orangutan undergoes variations in facial structure during the course of its lifetime: at birth its face is bare, juveniles are bearded, and adult males have skin pouches on their cheeks. Orangutans build sleeping nests, 16-80 feet (5-25 m) off the ground, each night and never return to an earlier nest.

It is actually a member of the rodent family that belongs in the same species as the guinea pig, agouti, coyphillas and chinchillas and is considered the largest type of rodent throughout the world.

The Capybara are a very heavy set animal with a short head and sports a coat of reddish colored fur with lighter coloring underneath.

div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited { color:#06c; } A leopard can, after all, change its spots: a new species of big cat has been identified for the first time in almost two centuries. The big cats prowling the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra had long been assumed to be the same clouded leopards that are found in mainland Asia. Genetic analysis and comparisons of fur patterns have now shown the two animals to be as distinct as the lion and the tiger, the WWF announced yesterday. Among the findings that convinced scientists was the realisation that the Bornean cat has changed the number and prominence of its spots.

The cats have now been reclassified as the Bornean clouded leopard, with the name Neofelis diardi, to distinguish them from other clouded leopards, Neofelis nebulosa. The two species, both endangered, are shown by genetic analysis to have separated 1.4 million years ago, after the animals used a land bridge, now covered by water, from mainland Asia to reach Borneo and Sumatra.

The jaguar lives in biodiversity-rich regions of Central and South America. It prefers forest habitats and areas close to water sources (such as wetlands, rivers, lakes etc) as it loves water and is a great swimmer. For example, the Amazon River Basin and the wetland area of Pantanal in Brazil are home to important populations of jaguars (1).

The jaguar is a nocturnal animal – it hunts for prey mostly during the dark hours of the day. (3) Though we have heard of some recent evidence of the jaguar’s daytime hunting as well. (4) The jaguar is a very adaptable animal.

jaguars … hunt by stealth, ambushing their prey from dense cover. Long canine teeth and powerful jaw muscles enable them to kill large animals swiftly, often with a single bite to the nape.

World Rainforest Movement

The Reticulated Python is located in Southeast Asia in countries including but not limited to Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Reticulated Python's diet consist of birds, mammals of different sizes including deer and pigs and on very rare occasions possibly humans.  Pythons will typically wait in hiding for prey to move close by before striking.  The Reticulated Python is not venomous; like other members of the Boa family it will use its large muscular body to constrict and suffocate its prey.  HabitatThe Reticulated Python can usually be found near water, including ponds and rivers, in warm and humid tropical rainforests of southeast Asia.  They may also have a tendency to live near human activity.     SizeThe average length of an adult Reticulated Python can range from 15 - 25 feet making it the longest snake and reptile in the world.  It is possible for Reticulated Pythons to grow over 30 feet in length.  The adult weight can be over 300 pounds.ReproductionUnlike other members of the Boa Family who bear live young, Pythons will lay eggs.  The female Reticulated Python can have between 25 - 100 eggs at a time.  The mother will coil around the eggs and create muscular vibrations to raise the temperature of the eggs several degrees.

During the formation of National Parks such as Virunga Park and Kahuzi Biega (where the mountain gorillas live), the Pygmies were removed from their ancestor’s land by force. The protection of gorillas is important and something that has to be done

Jaguar Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the largest felid species in the New World and the only member of the genus Panthera, the roaring cats, that occurs in the Americas. They are the third largest cat species, being outsized only by lions (P. leo) and tigers (P. trigris). Although not the largest felid, jaguars have the strongest jaw in relation to head size of any of the cats, a fact that should be remembered whenever planning to capture and immobilize these animals. The body weight of jaguars is 90 - 120 kg for males and 60 - 90 kg for females, with a large variation in body size. Jaguars live in a wide variety of tropical habitats, ranging from montane forest and wet savannah to tropical rain forest and deciduous tropical forest. The largest documented jaguars occur in wet savannahs while jaguars that live in more forested regions tend to be smaller in size

Physical appearance: Jaguars are the largest cat in the western hemisphere. In comparison with the leopard, the jaguar is generally larger and much stockier, with a broad heavy head, much shorter legs and tail (a good visual description might be a leopard on steroids). The background of the jaguar's coat is a tawny-yellow, like many of the Asiatic leopards, and lightened to whitish on the throat and belly. The jaguar is marked with small isolated spots on the head and neck with dark open ring structures, rosettes,on the sides and flank that generally contain one to four dark spots inside the rings. Interestingly, the rosettes of the leopard and the jaguar are almost identical with the exception of the jaguar having spots "inside" the rosettes where the leopard has none. Along the middle of the jaguar's back, a row of black spots may merge into a solid line. According to one Indian myth, the jaguar acquired its spotted coat by daubing mud on its body with its paws.

The boa constrictor is one of the largest snakes in the world, ranging in size from 10 to 14 feet long.  The boa is very large, but the anaconda in South America is larger.  Most boa constrictors live in Guiana and Brazil.  Boas defend themselves by striking.    The boa is a constrictor, which means it wraps around its prey tighter and tighter until their prey dies.  Whenever its prey breathes out, the boa wraps tighter.  After the prey has been constricted, the boa eats it whole.  Boas eat mice and rats, and occasionally a small deer. To eat bigger things (like deer), they stretch their mouths very wide by unhinging their jaws.  It can take several weeks for the boa to fully digest its food.     Boa constrictors vary in color from brown to gray.  A large female can give birth to as many as 50 young!  Boas use heat pits to sense their surroundings, because they have bad eyesight. 

The anaconda is an amphibious snake.  It gives birth to live young.   Some anacondas, which live in the water, can reach up to 30 feet in length!  The anaconda is most active at night.    Although they are not venomous, they defend themselves by inflicting severe bites, but kill by constriction.  They swim well and kill their prey by strangling them.  If that does not work, they drown them.  They are usually able to last two years without eating.  They feed on birds and small animals.  They will kill animals as large as jaguars.    The anaconda is the largest snake in the world.  This snake is in the boa family.  It is found in stream banks and swamps in South America, east of the Andes from Columbia and Venezuela to Northern Bolivia, and South Central Brazil.  There is little known about the anaconda.   

Trolls are green skinned, musculare creatures that live in underground tunnels. They came to this world together with the elves ancestors' the High Ones. So far they've shown to be unpredictable, cruel creatures. Perhaps there are better trolls somewhere, but the survivors of the Tall Tree Holt severly doubt that.