Rare Animals - The Japanese River Otter
The Japanese River Otter, a member of the weasel family, reaches approximately 70 centimeters (28 inches) in length. The creature once widely inhabited midstream and downstream regions along rivers throughout Japan. However, its number has drastically diminished due to excessive pelt hunting.
The last official sighting of the Japanese River Otter was in the southern part of Kochi Prefecture in 1979, and since that time, no sighting of the otter has ever been confirmed. An official search to ensure its survival has recently gone under way. Continue Reading »
The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the world. It is about 90 cm in length, has a wingspan of 220 cm and a weight of 5 kilos. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.
Chemical from dead insects, crustaceans dates back over 400 million years
The prehistoric-looking alligator snapping turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in North America and among the largest in the world. With its spiked shell, beak-like jaws, and thick, scaled tail, this species is often referred to as the “dinosaur of the turtle world.”
Ancient Indians had recognized the animals’ right to co-exist with man and therefore they were loved, nurtured and even worshipped. In order to impress upon the commoners about their importance, the animals were given the status of gods and goddesses. They declared that Almighty incarnates in different animal forms. The kings and the emperors opted different animals in their emblems. Many festivals were/are observed in honor of several animals. In order to inculcate love for animals among children, animals were made heroes in stories. The rulers gave them prime position in art and architecture. Unfortunately, today we are neither adopting ancient Indians’ compassionate attitude, nor scientific approach of the westerners towards these animals and hence we are heading towards a catastrophe. 
The Betic midwife toad is found in a number of isolated and fragmented populations around the mountains of southeastern Spain, occurring at altitudes of up to 2,140 metres above sea level. Females lay a string of eggs that the male wraps around his hind legs, carries until they are ready to hatch, and finally deposits in a pool of water where the tadpoles remain for up to a year. It is threatened by loss of suitable breeding habitat through excessive water withdrawal, droughts and the modernisation of agricultural practices leading to the abandonment of cattle troughs, which used to provide good breeding habitat. 
The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world, and is fully aquatic, with many adaptations for this lifestyle. It grows up to 1.8 metres in length, though most individuals found today are considerably smaller.
Main Characteristics
Molecular fossils push back earliest appearance of animal life
With colors and patterns that almost perfectly match the forest floor where they live, the ghost frogs live up to their name and, when they are very still, seem to vanish into the background. The Cape ghost frog, also known as Purcell’s ghost frog, has a brown back and head that are covered with black blotches—almost as if someone had shaken out a wet paintbrush and splattered black paint on the frog. When in its habitat where the green mosses and plants and dark clumps of dirt and pebbles form a patterned blanket on the ground, the frog blends in well enough almost to disappear. People and predators can walk within a few feet of this frog and never notice it.