animaloftheweek

[animaloftheweek]

No animal this week!

Unfortunately there will be no animal this week as I take some time to fix my animal randomizer. Hopefully the fixes will allow me to select more obscure creatures and be more scientific!

[animaloftheweek]

Say Goodbye Sunday: Ring-Tailed Vontsira

Image Credit: Jurga Motiejūnaitė

The Ring-Tailed Vontsira(Galidia elegans) is an adorable and unique little critter that I have loved sharing with you all! But now it's time to say goodbye to meet a new animal tomorrow! Goodbye, Ring-Tailed Vontsira!

Research Credits Under the Cut

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Support Saturday: Ring-Tailed Vontsira

Image Credit: Micha Baum

The Ring-Tailed Vontsira(Galidia elegans)'s population is rapidly declining. Some ways we can help are to:

-Stop supporting unsustainable logging companies

-Support sustainable palm oil companies

-Donate to animal protection organizations, such as Wildlife Madagascar

-If you are in Madagascar, avoid hunting wildlife unless necessary and never release pets into the wild

You can also support artists, including Jackie Bonnema, who made this adorable Ring-Tailed Vontsira sticker!

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Fun Fact Friday: Ring-Tailed Vontsira

Image Credit: Stuvwx

Fun Fact! Ring Tailed Vontsiras(Galidia elegans) are very commonly found in pairs, sometimes with or without pups! These pairs don't seem to be two mates, and although that could be an explanation, it seems more likely that these pairs are friends, siblings, or a mother and one of her older pups, as female vontsiras can have two litters per year.

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Info Dump Thursday: Ring-Tailed Vontsira

Image Credit: Charley Hesse

The Ring-Tailed Vontsira(Galidia elegans) is a relative of the Fossa. It is often called a mongoose, which is inaccurate. It is instead a relative of a mongoose but not one itself. It is the only species in it's genus, Galidia.

These Vontsiras live in Madagascar and are opportunistic hunters, eating insects, invertebrates, fish, birds, other mammals, eggs, and reptiles including snakes. They also occasionally eat fruit. They range between 30 and 40 cm long(11.8 - 15.7 in) excluding their tails(which can be between 20-30 cm) and are incredibly light, weighing only a few pounds.

[animaloftheweek]

Weirdness Wednesday: Ring-Tailed Vontsira

Image Credit: Donovan Snell

The Ring-Tailed Vontsira(Galidia elegans) are definitely an unusual creature! For starters, while they are known for being ground dwellers, they also climb trees, swim(they have webbed paws!), and can dig, making it so they can adapt to any conditions.

Another interesting fact is that their pups are born completely furred, with the same coloration as adults!

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Conservation: Ring-Tailed Vontsira

Image Credit: Gregoire Dubois

Conservation Tuesday! This fluffy predator, the Ring-Tailed Vontsira(Galidia elegans), is currently listed as Least Concern. However, its population is rapidly declining to a concerning degree. It is largely threatened by being hunted or killed by humans for killing poultry, invasive animals, and habitat loss.

[animaloftheweek]

Animal of the Week: Ring-Tailed Vontsira

Image Credit: Phil Boyle

Meet the animal Monday! This week we have a beautiful animal known as the Ring-Tailed Vontsira(Galidia elegans), sometimes called the Ring-Tailed Mongoose. They have no close living relatives but are classified as false mongooses, or Malagasy mongooses, along with Fossas.

[animaloftheweek]

Say Goodbye Sunday: Malayan Black Magpie

Image Credit: Amar-Singh

The Malayan Black Magpie(Platysmurus leucopterus) is a really fun bird! I hope you've all had as much fun as me getting to know this little corvid. But it's now time to say bye! Goodbye, Malayan Black Magpie!

Research Credits Under the Cut

[animaloftheweek]

Support Saturday: Malayan Black Magpie

Image Credit: Amar-Singh

The Malayan Black Magpie(Platysmurus leucopterus) is currently listed as Least Concern. However, it is still threatened by habitat loss and has a decreasing population. The main way to help is by not supporting unsustainable logging companies.

[animaloftheweek]

Fun Fact Friday: Malayan Black Magpie

Image Credit: Harn Sheng Khor

Fun Fact! Malayan Black Magpies(Platysmurus leucopterus) may look like harmless insectivores, but they are actually fierce predators that eat a lot of meat, including reptiles, small mammals, and even eggs and other birds!

[animaloftheweek]

Info Dump Thursday: Malayan Black Magpie

Image Credit: Muangpai Suetrong

The Malayan Black Magpie(Platysmurus leucopterus) is a treepie(not a magpie!) native to areas around Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand,  Brunei, Myanmar, and Singapore.

They have a wingspan of around 1.5ft(45 cm) and spend a large majority of their time in trees.

Their preferred habitat is wet lowland forests and mangroves.

[animaloftheweek]

Weirdness Wednesday: Malayan Black Magpie

Image Credit: David and Kathy Cook

The Malayan Black Magpie(Platysmurus leucopterus) chicks, like some other nesting bird chicks, have a built in "diaper" called a fecal sac. They excrete the sac full of waste and the parent bird either takes the sac away or eats it! Treepies are also known for their strange harsh calls. Like most corvids, they are very intelligent and can learn how to mimic sounds of other animals.

[animaloftheweek]

Conservation: Malayan Black Magpie

Image Credit: Thet Zaw Naing

Conservation Tuesday! The Malayan Black Magpie(Platysmurus leucopterus) is currently listed by the IUCN as Least Concern. However, they are still threatened by habitate loss. They are found in tropical and sub tropical forests, along with mangroves, in and around Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Myanmar.

[animaloftheweek]

Animal of the Week: Malayan Black Magpie

Image Credit: Kaung Set Naing

Meet the Animal Monday! Here we have a corvid called the Malayan Black Magpie(Platysmurus leucopterus) which is actually not a magpie, but instead a treepie!

[animaloftheweek]

Sorry, no animal this week!

I apologize to everyone but there will be no new animal this week because I have midterms. But stay tuned for next week because we will be learning about a species of corvid(one of my favorite bird families)!

[animaloftheweek]

Say Goodbye Sunday: Spottail Sleeper Ray

Image Credit: Biswas Sajib

It's that time of the week again - time to say goodbye to this week's animal, the Spottail Sleeper Ray(Narke dipterygia) to welcome in next week's animal! Goodbye, Spottail Sleeper Ray!

Research Credits Under the Cut