guppiecat

The Zoological Society of London just announced a new project to protect and raise awareness for endangered "Edge" animals. These are animals that are so genetically distinct that extinction would cause a significant loss of genetic diversity. In honor of this, I am posting the top 10 animals selected by the ZSL for this honor, along with interesting notes about them.

Hispaniolan Solenodon aka Haitian Solenodon or Agouta

Looks like an oversized shrew

One of very few venomous mammals

Is not immune to it's own venom

When running when scared, will often trip over its own feet

Pygmy Hippopotamus

Lives in the forest

Stand up to about 75cm high

Likely more representative of extinct hippos than what we consider to be the true hippo

Share a common ancestor with whales

Sir David's Long-beaked Echidna

Very little is known about this animal, most of it from a single individual from 1961

It does have five claws on its feet

Bactrian Camel

This is the one with two humps.

Around 900 left in the wild.

They can open and close their nostrils

They have an "underwool" that is like long underwear

They drink up to 32 gallons of water at a time

They can drink salt water

Yangtze River Dolphin

Believed to be extinct. We were too late.

Relied on sonar for navigation.

Red Slender Loris

Very precise depth perception (useful in eating bugs, I suppose)

Can sleep while holding onto branches

No tail

Lives in social groups, but hunts separately

Mates hanging upside down from branches

Hirola

Ringed, lyre-shaped horns

Large numbers of female herds with single male leader, though smaller all-male herds exist.

Only one female in captivity

Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew

Largest of all the elephant shrews

Found only in a single forest in a single park in Kenya

Can run at speeds up to 25 km/h

If a predator approaches, the shrew signals it's presence, theoretically so that the predator knows not to bother. If the predator gets too close, the shrew runs off.