Special Defense

humans really went off with building on precipitous rock faces

u know the function is satisfactory and these guys are there

A Party of Mice has arrived!

it's...... mouse time

Secretary Birds (Sagittarius serpentarius), family Sagittariidae, order Accipitriformes, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Southern Africa

ENDANGERED.

These birds stand at a maximum height of 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in).

They feed on a wide variety of small animals, including venomous snakes.

Endangered due to habitat destruction.

photograph by Uwe Sandneurosen

i love prairie dog. he is like a brother to me. i hope they get well soon

hi! love what you do! can we hear more about the massive black tailed prairie dog colony?

Sure!

So, for a bit of context, black-tailed prairie dogs organize themselves first into coteries, or small family groups usually consisting of one adult male, three to four adult females, and pups. Up to a dozen of these coteries make up a 'ward' centered around a natural landmark like a hill; these wards are like neighborhoods, in which coteries are aware of each other but don't interact much. Sometimes a colony consists of a single ward, but more often there will be multiple wards that make up a colony (also called a town). Towns can house miles of interconnected burrows and tunnels which its inhabitants use to move underground.

The largest of these colonies was first described by naturalist Vernon Bailey in the early 1900s. At the time, the colony extended from the city of San Angelo to Clarendon-- a distance of about 430 km (250 mi). Bailey described the inhabitants of the town as "...comparatively tame, standing at the entrance to their hole, flipping their tails, and steadily barking." He also noted that, "When properly prepared and cooked, they are a delicacy."

Unfortunately, disease and extermination regimes have decimated black-tailed prairie dog populations, and it's now estimated that less than 10 million live in the state of Texas.

it's important to remember that most 'invasive species' did not change the region and habitat to which they have adapted by their own accord; stowaways on cargo vessels, changed migration patterns due to human settlements or a changing climate; animals formerly used for furs or other animal products being released after those goods were no longer in demand... these animals are displaced. it's very sad because often the best solution is population control.

we made the problem and the best solution feels pretty ugly, but the alternative is often ecologically much worse.

BBC News

Northumberland and Cumbria red squirrel groups say greys freed by public

The groups protect red squirrels by trapping greys but say some are released and equipment damaged.

Not only do we have the rich elite releasing millions of non-native birds for sport shooting, and shooters and farmers campaigning against efforts to re-wild parts of the UK, we also have animal rights groups sabotaging conservation efforts.

Grey squirrels are highly invasive in the UK. They spread disease, outcompete the native red squirrel, and also predate native bird nests and damage trees. Culling them is vital to helping to restore ecosystems and threatened native wildlife. Yet there are groups of ARAs dedicated to saving these invasive squirrels. UK wildlife just can't win.

This is how bad the situation is btw:

Southern Mountain Cavy (Microcavia australis)

photo credit: Ezequiel Racker