News Feed
Total News Feed (4479)

Orangutans are the gardeners of the rainforest

Thanks to their appetite for fruit, orangutans have built a symbiotic relationship with fruit trees. While feeding, they disperse seeds throughout the forest.

Orangutans are critically endangered species

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List has placed all three orangutan species on the endangered species list. Today, the decline in their populations poses a clear danger to countless other species sharing their habitat.

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Fun Fact: Did you know that chimpanzees have a DNA similarity of around 98.7% with humans3? These great apes are more closely related to modern humans than other primate species.

Bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Fun Fact: Did you know bonobos have a matriarchal society? They use social bonding and sexual activities to resolve conflicts and maintain group cohecsion. Moreover, these great apes are the only non-human species that engage in sexual intercourse for communication1.

Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Despite their massive size, gorillas are peaceful, shy, and reserved. The genus gorilla comprises both the eastern and western gorilla species. Unfortunately, both are critically endangered species due to habitat loss, poaching, and disease.

Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

Fun Fact: Did you know the Eastern Gorilla is the largest gorilla subspecies? These massive apes can reach up to 6 feet tall when standing upright. With their muscular build and powerful arms, they can weigh up to a whopping 400 pounds.

Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

You can find the mountain gorilla in the heart of the Virunga mountains and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. These great apes have long hair, formidable jaws, small noses, and a dense coat that helps them survive freezing temperatures. Moreover, this old-world monkey lives 7,200 to 14,100 feet above sea level, where it gets pretty chilly.

Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Fun Fact: Did you know that orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammals on Earth? These creatures spend most of their lives high up in the rainforest canopy, rarely touching the forest floor.

Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)

Fun Fact: Did you know that orangutans can travel up to 100 feet in a single swing? These incredible acrobats use their long arms and strong hands to navigate the dense rainforest.

Tapanuli Orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis)

Fun Fact: Did you know that the Tapanuli orangutan is the newest great ape species2? In 2017, experts officially recognized it as a distinct species. With only 800 individuals in the wild, they are also the world's rarest apes.

Siamang Gibbon (Symphalangus syndactylus)

Fun Fact: Did you know that Siamang gibbons are the largest among the gibbon species? They can be twice as large, reaching up to 3.3 ft.

Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock)

You can find the Hoolock gibbon in the lush forest canopies of Northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China. Moreover, they are the only apes native to India, dancing amid the trees with agility.

Kaiser-i-Hind (Teinopalpus imperialis)

The first rare butterfly we are starting with is the kaiser-i-hind butterfly, also known as the Emperor of India. It is a rare species of swallowtail butterfly native to the Eastern Himalayas- Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, West Bengal, and Sikkim.

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae)

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing is next on our list of rare butterfly species. Albert S. Meek discovered this species in Papua New Guinea in 1906. He was a naturalist to Walter Rothschild, who named the butterfly after the wife of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra of Denmark.

Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)

Zebra Longwing , the state butterfly of Florida, is a neotropical butterfly native to Mexico, Central America, Florida, and some parts of Texas. It has long black wings with bold and narrow yellow stripe and a wingspan of 72 to 100 mm.

Lange’s Metalmark (Apodemia mormo langei)

Next on our list of rare butterflies is Lange’s metalmark butterfly. Its flight period starts in early August and goes up until mid or late September. Lange’s metalmark is a small butterfly with a wing length of about 25 mm. Its wing colors are orange and brown, with white spots, while its hindwings are gray-brown.

Bhutan Glory (Bhutanitis lidderdalii)

Bhutan Glory is an endangered butterfly native to the eastern Himalayas (north-eastern India and Bhutan) and the Hengduan Mountains (south-western China and Myanmar). There are four subspecies of Bhutan glory: Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory, Mansfield’s Bhutan Glory, and Chinese Bhutan Glory.

Luzon Peacock Swallowtail (Papilio chikae)

Next on our list of rare butterflies is the Luzon peacock swallowtail. This beautiful long-tailed butterfly is native to Luzon, northern Philippines, and has green-black, red, and purple colors.

Leona’s Little Blue (Philotiella leona)

Leona’s little blue butterfly is one of the rarest butterflies in the world. It is a small butterfly with a 0.75-inch wing width. Leona’s Little Blue is native to Klamath County, Oregon, United States, and is the only butterfly endemic to Oregon. You can only find it in a specific area in Oregon: six square miles of ash-pumice habitat southeast of Crater Lake.

Menelaus Blue Morpho (Morpho menelaus)

Blue Morpho butterfly is next on our list of rare butterflies worldwide. It is one of the largest butterflies in nature. It is native to the rainforests of Central America, Mexico, and South America. The blue morpho is a beauty with iridescent blue wings and black borders. The underside of their wings is dull brown with black eyespots.