It’s National Wildlife Week in America and a perfect excuse for us to comb the ARKive collection for species in support of this year’s theme, ‘Branching Out for Wildlife’ – celebrating trees and their importance to wildlife and people.

Trees are essential for species survival around the world. They provide vital habitat for species in nearly every category from mushrooms to mammals and everything in between. Their leaves clean the air we breathe and their wood provides invaluable ecosystem services to humans. Basically, we just couldn’t survive without them!

We thought we’d showcase some of our favorite images on ARKive featuring species ‘branching out’ in their own ways. Take a look; you might be surprised at some of the species on our list!

Ring-tailed clinger

You may have spotted a Northern raccoon scampering around the forest floor but this species is actually right at home climbing in and around the limbs of trees. For a more classic image of raccoons and trees, take a look at these cuties.

Leg-less limb lounger

Did you know that some snakes could climb trees? Snakes like this red-sided garter snake are able to slither their way up trunks and limbs to avoid predators or, in this case, to escape from a pining male suitor.

Fir-climbing feline

You’ve probably heard the story of the little house kitty that got stuck up in the tree, right? Well, the far distant cousin of the house cat, the Canada lynx, has no problem ambling up and around the trees in its native habitat. On the ground, these cats rely on fallen trees, among other shrubbery, for cozy bedding.

Pine tree pecker

No collection of tree-dwelling species would be complete without a woodpecker which uses its powerful beak to ‘peck’ holes into tree trunks to create a home. Woodpeckers like this pileated woodpecker are especially important to the woodland ecosystems since vacated woodpecker homes provide essential shelter for other species such as owls, bats and swifts.

Branching bear

While the large claws of the brown bear are better suited for digging rather than tree climbing, it certainly doesn’t stop this opportunistic feeder from climbing up a trunk or two for a meal.

Can you think of other American species that require trees to live? Why not do some exploring around the Wisconsin’s Northwoods or the Eastern deciduous forest of the US. Shout out your favorite species in the comments below and include a link to the species on ARKive so we can learn together!

Liana Vitali, ARKive Education and Outreach Manager, Wildscreen USA

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On Saturday 23^rd March hundreds of millions of people across the world will take part in WWF’s Earth Hour by turning off their lights for one hour. WWF’s Earth hour is a unique annual phenomenon that focuses the world’s attention on our amazing planet, and why we need to protect it.

During Earth Hour 2013, people are asked to think about the type of energy we use. How we need to move away from fossil fuels and onto clean renewable energy, which works with nature and not against it.

In 2012, 6,950 towns and cities in 152 countries took part, with over 7.6 million people in the UK joining in alone. Earth Hour 2013 takes place at 8:30 pm local time on Saturday 23^rd March, so get ready to flick those switches and join in the fight for a healthier planet! Here at ARKive, to get ready we have been thinking about species which prefer life in the dark and have put together a list of our top ten nocturnal species.

Aye-aye

Despite originally being classified as a rodent, the unusual looking aye-aye is actually the world’s largest nocturnal primate. The aye-aye’s hand has an extended middle digit which it uses for foraging. This finger has a range of uses, including scooping the pulp out of fruit and tapping on trees to find cavities concealing insects.

An aye-aye using its elongated finger to find insects in wood

Sri Lankan frogmouth

The strange looking Sri Lankan frogmouth certainly looks like it could do with some beauty sleep! This nocturnal bird is very distinctive due to its unusual appearance and its loud laughing song. Found only in India and Sri Lanka, it hunts insects at night and rests during the day.

The Sri Lankan frogmouth gets its name from its large, gaping mouth

Horsfield’s tarsier

Like other tarsier species, the Horsfield’s tarsier has some very strange adaptations. Tarsiers have the biggest eyes of any mammal compared to body weight, and due to the unique shape of their spine they possess the ability to rotate their head almost 360º! Tarsiers are also the only entirely carnivorous primate, feeding on a diet of insects and small vertebrates at night.

Tarsiers have the biggest eyes of any mammal, relative to their body weight

Night-flowering orchid

The night flowering orchid is the only known orchid species which opens its flowers at night. This newly discovered species is only found on the island of New Britain, in Papua New Guinea. In cultivation, this orchid opens its flowers at around 10pm keeping them open for about 12 hours. The flowers of this orchid are short lived, only lasting for one night.

The night-flowering orchid is the only orchid species to open its flowers at night

Philippine flying lemur

The Philippine flying lemur is not actually a true flier or a true lemur, but is actually a rather unique gliding mammal. It possesses a distinctive gliding membrane, or patagium, that when stretched out enables the Philippine flying lemur to glide through the forest for over 100 metres! It is a secretive and nocturnal animal which ventures out at dusk to find food.

The Philippine flying lemur gliding between trees

Lemur leaf frog

The lemur leaf frog is a nocturnal frog species, with the incredible ability to change colour depending on whether it is active or resting. During the day, it has a bright green colouration to provide it with camouflage whilst curled up on leaves. At night, when it becomes active, the lemur leaf frog’s eyes turn grey and the upperparts of its body turns brown. This provides the lemur leaf frog with excellent camouflage during the day and night.

Lemur leaf frogs have the ability to change colour between green and brown

Great spotted kiwi

As the name suggests, the great spotted kiwi is New Zealand’s largest kiwi species. This nocturnal bird finds its prey at night by tapping the ground with its beak and sniffing the earth. For the first six weeks of their life great spotted kiwi chicks may feed during the day, before becoming exclusively nocturnal.

Two great spotted kiwis foraging at night

Pyjama shark

Despite what its name suggests, you will not find the pyjama shark tucked up in bed at night in its pyjamas, as this strange looking shark is actually nocturnal. It is in fact the seven dark longitudinal stripes running the length of its body which gives this shark its name. The nocturnal pyjama shark spends its day concealed in caves or crevices and becomes active at night to hunt fish and molluscs.

The aptly named pyjama shark

Aardvark

The unusual looking aardvark is primarily a nocturnal animal which spends its day in its burrow and ventures out at night to find food. The aardvarks diet is composed of ants and termites which it swallows whole and then grinds them up in a muscular area of its lower stomach. The aardvark not only holds the title for being the first word in dictionary, but its powerful limbs means it can dig a hole quicker than several men with shovels!

An aardvark showing of its digging skills

Kakapo

The kakapo is a very unusual nocturnal parrot species endemic to New Zealand. This unique species is not only the world’s largest and heaviest parrot but it is also the only flightless parrot in the world. The kakapo was once widespread in New Zealand but now this Critically Edangered species only occurs on Codfish and Chalky Islands.

The kakapo is the largest and heaviest parrot and also seems to be the best at hide and seek!

Don’t forget, Earth Hour is on Saturday  23^rd March at 8:30 pm local time, so join the ARKive team and millions of other people worldwide and switch off those lights!

Find out how to get involved on the WWF’s Earth Hour website

Jemma Pealing, ARKive Media Researcher

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In an historic day for shark conservation, five species of shark have been awarded additional protection at the CITES meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.

The oceanic whitetip shark is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

Historic day for sharks

Conservationists have spent nearly two decades working to get sharks listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and at the latest meeting they have finally succeeded, winning the vote for five shark species and two species of manta ray to receive better protection. While similar proposals have been rejected in the past with strong opposition from China and Japan, new-found support from West African and Latin American countries swayed the most recent vote in favour of the sharks.

“Today’s outcome could be a turning point in how CITES can assist in the regulation of trade in marine species,” said Glenn Sant, Marine Programme leader with TRAFFIC. “If accepted in plenary, this meeting will go down in history as the one where CITES finally realised its marine potential.”

Restrictions and regulations

The seven species, three of which are highly threatened but commercially valuable, will now be listed under Appendix II of CITES. While this does not equate to an outright ban on trade in these species, it does mean that tougher regulations will be put in place, with the introduction of strictly controlled permits to import and export fins. Nations will face heavy sanctions if too many individuals of the species in question are fished.

During the meeting currently being held in Thailand, a two-thirds majority voted to upgrade the CITES status of the great hammerhead shark, scalloped hammerhead shark, smooth hammerhead shark, oceanic whitetip shark, porbeagle, giant manta ray and reef manta ray.

The porbeagle narrowly missed out on protection at the 2010 CITES meeting

Threats to sharks

As we reported in the ARKive blog earlier this month, sharks and rays face many threats, with an estimated 100 million individuals killed every year. Overfishing in particular has led to an unprecedented decline in shark numbers, and as these highly sought-after species are slow to mature and produce few offspring, they are extremely vulnerable to population crashes.

While the fins of the scalloped hammerhead are among the most valuable, protection has also been awarded to two other hammerhead species, as there was concern that these species could be targeted should only the scalloped hammerhead receive protection.

Shark fin soup is a delicacy in certain countries

Turning point

Experts believe that the critical factor in the latest ground-breaking decision is the shift in the views of South American nations, who are coming to understand that live sharks are more valuable to local communities than dead ones.

“They’ve come to realise, particularly for those with hammerhead stocks, the tourist value of these species and the long term future that will be protected by a CITES listing,” said Dr Colman O’Criodain from WWF International.

An additional factor in the recent shark victory was money, with cash being made available from the European Union to help poorer countries change their fishing practices.

The great hammerhead is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List

Importance

Removing sharks from the ecosystem can have a serious and detrimental knock-on effect on the rest of the food chain. Without top predators, prey species can burgeon and destroy stocks of other commercially valuable species such as scallops.

“We are thrilled that the tide is now turning for shark conservation, with governments listening to the science and acting in the interests of sustainability,” said Elizabeth Wilson, manager of Pew’s Global Shark Conservation campaign. “With these new protections, they will have the chance to recover and once again fulfil their role as top predators.”

The battle is not over yet

While the latest news from CITES is promising for sharks, there is still the possibility that the ruling could be overturned – and hopes dashed – during the plenary session on the final day of proceedings. Back in 2010, the porbeagle won protection in earlier sessions, only to be stripped of it in the plenary by just one vote.

Yet there is still hope for the struggling shark species, and it is hoped that some good will come of the early decision.

“This is a landmark moment showing that the world’s governments support sustainable fisheries and are concerned about the reckless over-exploitation of sharks for commercial use,” said Carlos Drews, head of WWF’s delegation at CITES. “Today’s decision will go a long way in slowing down the frenzied overfishing of sharks that is pushing them to the brink of collapse to feed the luxury goods market.”

Read more on this story at BBC News – ‘Historic’ day for shark protection and The Guardian – Five shark species win protection against finning trade.

View photos and videos of sharks, rays and related species on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Text Author

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Several freshwater turtle and tortoise species are to be afforded greater protection as a result of successful conservation talks at the CITES meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.

Swinhoe’s soft shell turtle is number 2 on the 25 most endangered turtles list

Turtle proposals

At the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), proposals were put forward to restrict trade in 44 Asian turtle and tortoise species, as well as three North American pond turtle species. These proposals were mostly led by the U.S., although some of the suggested amendments were presented jointly by the U.S. and China, marking the first time that these two countries have worked together to conserve reptiles.

Conservation victory

Government negotiators at the meeting have accepted the proposals, which have now been adopted under the CITES agreement. This has been viewed as a victory for the conservation of reptiles, and is a welcome step towards saving these threatened species.

“We are extremely heartened by today’s vote to give greater protection to these highly imperiled species,” said Bryan Arroyo, head of the U.S. delegation to the CITES 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16). “More than half of the world’s freshwater turtles are threatened with extinction, yet they continue to be traded, unsustainably, for food, as pets, and in traditional medicines. We’ve taken a significant step forward today to begin managing that trade.”

The Burmese starred tortoise is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List

Threatened reptiles

The acceptance of the proposals means that trade in the 44 Asian species and 3 North American species will now be more carefully regulated, and this result has come just in time. According to a 2011 report published by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Turtle Conservation Coalition, nearly 70 percent of the world’s 25 most endangered turtles are found in Asia, where the reptiles are in high demand for meat and other products including traditional medicine. For example, Swinhoe’s soft shell turtle, also known as the Yangtze giant softshell tortoise, is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and is one of the species which will benefit from the new proposals.

With the depletion of Asia’s turtle populations, harvesting has shifted to the U.S., where there is concern for native turtle species such as the diamondback terrapin, which is increasingly under threat. It is hoped that the newly adopted regulations will play a part in managing turtle harvesting in the U.S. before it becomes a bigger issue.

The Burmese roofed turtle is one of the 25 most endangered turtle species

International cooperation

The joint submission of two proposals by China and the U.S. has been highlighted as a big event, demonstrating remarkable cooperation between the countries for increased protection for a number of Asian turtle species.

“This signals that the Chinese government is committed to being serious about conservation. It’s a leap forward for both countries in terms of conservation,” said Arroyo.

Various campaign groups were also pleased with the outcome, with charity Care for the Wild releasing a statement urging pet owners to remember that the trend for housing exotic pets has a price, and that these creatures belong in the wild.

The CITES CoP16 runs until the 14th March.

Read more on this story at BBC News – Turtle ‘victory’ at wildlife meeting and Mongabay – Turtles win greater protection at CITES meeting.

View photos and videos of turtles and tortoises on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Text Author

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Located in the Caribbean Sea, the island of Montserrat is a fantastic place to observe pristine habitats on and offshore. A walk along the islands’ lush green coastline will make it clear why Montserrat holds the nickname ‘Emerald Isle’. However, the species of Montserrat are at a crossroads with both natural and human-caused environmental disturbances threatening some species with extinction.

Join the ARKive Geographic team as we take a trip to explore the species that make Montserrat so very special. We bet you’ll learn a thing or two about this little green gem that you didn’t know before!

Pigmented plumes

The national bird of Montserrat, the Montserrat oriole has also become symbolic of the island’s conservation efforts. Recent volcanic eruptions in the country have reduced this species hill forest habitat to one third of its historic size. To safeguard the survival of the Montserrat oriole into the future, researchers and conservationists have embarked on a highly successful captive breeding program in the UK and populations should rebound barring any further volcanic disruptions.

Flashy fish

Some might argue that a queen can have many moods however, not every queen can change colors to match them! The queen triggerfish has some very unique abilities with one of them being the ability to adjust the vibrancy of its scales depending on its mood. Another clever adaptation is the fish’s  ability to move its  eyes  independently of each other; a very useful skill for spotting danger.

Serene sea cow

Speaking of species with fascinating abilities, the West Indian manatee has evolved to survive in both  freshwater and saltwater environments. If that isn’t interesting enough, recent evidence suggests that the manatees are able to detect pressure changes through a unique sixth sense: highly-tuned sensory hairs.

 Reticent reptile

While not much is known about this particular species, the Montserrat galliwasp faces threats that are still worth mentioning; the most critical being habitat loss. Environmental destruction (deforestation), fragmentation (splintering environments for development), and degradation (pollution and the introduction of non-native species) are all forms of habitat loss suffered by the species. As more information becomes available, Montserrat’s conservation efforts may help the galliwasp thrive, but until then this reptile’s biology and behavior remain a mystery.

Ambling amphibian

The mountain chicken frog may look unimposing but it actually has a carnivorous appetite and is considered the top endemic predator in Montserrat. Despite its place in the food chain, mountain chicken populations have been devastated by the deadly chytrid fungus. The mountain chicken stars in ARKive’s newest online education game, Team WILD, where players are tasked with evacuating non-infected mountain chickens from the island before they succumb to the fungus.

The Team WILD game is a fun and unique way for students to discover the importance of a career in conservation and science – by turning scientists into superheroes! See if you can beat the current high score for saving the most mountain chicken frogs on Montserrat. Or, if you’re more interested in chytrid conservation news, check out a more in-depth ARKive blog on healthy frog reintroduction efforts.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this virtual visit to Montserrat with us. If you’re not yet ready to return to the mainland, why not explore the 200+ species on ARKive that live on or visit the waters around Montserrat. And don’t forget to test your species-saving skills in Team WILD!

Andrea Small, Education and Outreach Intern, Wildscreen USA

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