Rare Animals

Dwarf Blue Sheep (Pseudois schaeferi or also known as Bharal, Dwarf Bharal, Shi Yang "stone sheep", Ya Yang "cliff sheep") is very rare species of caprid found in China Proper and Tibet. These unique creature is in danger of extinction because it is seriously few in numbers, the reason - it may be threatened by human being, changing environmental, or predation parameters. It inhabits low, arid, grassy slopes of the upper Yangtze gorge in Batang County of the Sichuan Province, and a small part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, where it is known by the local name Rong-na. It has declined considerably since the 1950's because of overhunting. This continues to be its major threat, along with some habitat loss.

Initially given subspecific status to the Bharal (Pseudois nayaur), morphological research conducted in the 1970s led it to be considered a distinct species. However recent molecular analysis has shown the dissimilarity between the two species is slight, and proposes it should be treated as a subspecies of the Bharal.

In general the dwarf blue sheep weighs 25 - 44 kg (55 - 97 lb). It appears on very steep rocky slopes, as a rule at an altitude of 2700 - 2900 m (8900 - 9500') in dry valleys with a sparse cover of grasses and low shrubs. Its diet consists mainly of grasses and other plants such as clubmoss. Blue sheep feed and rest alternately throughout the day on steep, grassy slopes. Groups of dwarf blue sheep currently average about 6 animals, down from 10 - 36 reported by local hunters to occur previously. The Dwarf Blue Sheep differs from the Bharal primarily in size, with adult males weighing around 35kg, half as much as the Bharal. Less sexual dimorphism occurs in this species, and females of the two species are very similar. Its coat is a steely grey with a silvery sheen, with darker general colouration than the Bharal, and the horns of the male are smaller, thinner and more upright, with no inward curl.

In 2000 the quantity of this endangered animal were approximately 200 individuals of Dwarf Blue Sheep alive. The species is hunted, and in their limited range cannot escape from humans and livestock. Although a reserve of 142.4 square km was set up around Zhubalong in 1995, human activities continue to go on there.

Today's topic would be about a very unique and rare creature - Baiji dolphin. The Baiji (also known as Lipotes vexillifer, Lipotes meaning "left behind", vexillifer "flag bearer") is a freshwater dolphin found only in the Yangtze River in China. Dubed "Goddess of the Yangtze" in China, the dolphin was also called Chinese River Dolphin, Yangtze River Dolphin, Whitefin Dolphin and Yangtze Dolphin. It is not to be confused with the Chinese White Dolphin. The 2007 IUCN Red List classifies the Baiji as a critically endangered (CR) species, and acknowledges the species is possibly extinct (PE).

The Baiji population declined immensely in recent decades as China industrialized and made heavy use of the river for fishing, transportation, and hydroelectricity. The last confirmed sighting of a Baiji was in 2004, with an unconfirmed sighting in August 2007. Efforts were made to conserve the species, but a late 2006 expedition failed to find any Baiji in the river. Organizers declared the Baiji "functionally extinct", which would make it the first aquatic mammal species to become extinct since the demise of the Japanese Sea Lion and the Caribbean Monk Seal in the 1950s. It would also be the first recorded extinction of a well-studied cetacean species to be directly attributable to human influence.

Interestingly, in August 2007, Zeng Yujiang reportedly videotaped a large white animal swimming in the Yangtze. Although Wang Kexiong of the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has tentatively confirmed that the animal on the video is a baiji, the presence of only one or a few animals, particularly of advanced age, is not enough to save a functionally extinct species from true extinction.

Baiji are thought to breed in the first half of the year, the peak calving season being from February to April. A 30% pregnancy rate was observed. Gestation lasts 10-11 months, delivering one calf at a time; the interbirth interval is 2 years. Calves measure around 80-90 centimetres (32-35 in) at birth, and nursed for 8-20 months. Males reach sexual maturity at age four, females at age six. Mature males were about 2.3 metres (7.5 ft) long, females 2.5 metres (8 ft), the longest specimen 2.7 metres. The animal weighed 135-230 kilograms (300-510 lb), with a lifespan estimated at 24 years in the wild. When escaping from danger, the Baiji can reach 60 km/h (37 mph), but usually stays within 10 to 15 km/h (6-9 mph). Because of its poor vision and hearing, the Baiji relies mainly on sonar for navigation.

Going further, historically the Baiji occurred along 1,700 kilometres (1,000 miles) of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze from Yichang in the west to the mouth of the river, near to Shanghai. This had been reduced by several hundred kilometres both upstream and downstream, and was limited to the main channel of the Yangtze, principally the middle reaches between the two large tributary lakes, Dongting and Poyang. Approximately 12% of the world’s human population lives and works within the Yangtze River catchment area, putting pressure onto the river. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam, along with other smaller damming projects, also led to habitat loss.

Fossil records suggest that the dolphin first appeared 25 million years ago and migrated from the Pacific Ocean to the Yangtze River 20 million years ago. It was one of four species of dolphins known to have made fresh water their exclusive habitat. The other three species, including the Boto and the La Plata Dolphin, have survived in the Río de la Plata and Amazon rivers in South America and the Ganges and Indus rivers on the Indian subcontinent. It is estimated that there were 5,000 Baiji when they were described in the ancient dictionary Erya circa 3rd century BC. A traditional Chinese story describes the Baiji as the reincarnation of a princess who had been drowned by her family after refusing to marry a man she did not love. Regarded as a symbol of peace and prosperity, the dolphin was nicknamed the "Goddess of the Yangtze."

Talking about the conservation of a such wonderful creature, in the 1950s the population was estimated at 6,000 animals, but declined rapidly over the subsequent five decades. Only a few hundred were left by 1970. Then, unfortunately, the number dropped down to 400 by the 1980s and then to 13 in 1997 when a full-fledged search was conducted. Now the most endangered cetacean in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Baiji was last sighted in August 2007.

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), from time to time referred to as the Spanish lynx, is the most rarest of the world’s 36 cats, which stands on the edge of extinction. This lynx was once distributed over the whole Iberian Peninsula but now its area is severely restricted in Andalusia, Southern Spain. The Iberian lynx prefers heterogeneous environments of open grassland mixed with dense shrubs such as Arbutus, lentisk, and Juniper; and trees such as Holm oak and Cork oak. Mainly in mountainous areas covered with vegetation; maquis or "Mediterranean forest". The species often used to be misclassified as a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, but is now considered a separate species. Both species occurred together in central Europe in the Pleistocene epoch, being separated by habitat choice. The Iberian lynx is believed to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis.

Whereas the Eurasian lynx bears rather pallid markings, the Iberian lynx has distinguishing, leopard-like spots with a coat that is often light gray or various shades of light brownish-yellow. Some western populations were spotless though these have recently become extinct.

The head and body length is 85–110 cm, with the short tail an additional 12–30 cm; the shoulder height is 60–70 cm. The male is larger than the female, with the average weight of males 12.9 kg and a maximum of 26.8 kg, compared to 9.4 kg for females; this about half the size of the Eurasian lynx. The Iberian lynx does not differ greatly from the Eurasian lynx but more closely resembles a bobcat. The face is more cat-like than that of Eurasian lynx. It has a short stubby bob tail with a black tip, and a tuft of black hair on the tip of the pointed ears, whiskers and sideburns.

The Iberian Lynx is much smaller than its northern relatives, and so typically hunts smaller sized animals, usually no larger than hares. It also differs in habitat choice, with Iberian lynx inhabiting open scrub and Eurasian lynx inhabiting forests. It hunts mammals (including rodents and insectivores), birds, reptiles and amphibians at twilight. The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is its main prey (79.5-86.7%), with (5.9%) hares (Lepus granatensis) and (3.2%) rodents less common. A male requires one rabbit per day, and a female bringing up cubs will eat three rabbits per day. As the population of rabbits in Spain has declined, the Iberian lynx is often forced to attack young deer, fallow deer, roebuck or mouflons. The Iberian lynx competes with the red fox, the meloncillo (Herpestes ichneumon) and the wildcat. It is solitary and hunts alone; it will stalk its prey or lie in wait for hours behind a bush or rock until the prey is sufficiently close to pounce in a few strides. The tufts of hair on its ears helps it to detect sources of sound; without them, its hearing capacity is greatly reduced. The edges of its feet are covered in long thick hair, which facilitates silent movement through snow. Lynx, especially with younger animals, roam widely, with ranges reaching more than 100 km. Also it has a territory (~ 10-20 km²), depending on how much food is available. The Iberian lynx marks its territory with its urine, droppings and scratch marks on the barks of trees.

During the mating season the female moves ahead of her territory in search of a male. The normal gestation period is about two months; the cubs are born between March and September, with a peak of births in March and April. A litter consists of two or three (rarely one, or four to five) kittens weighing between 200–250 grams. The kittens become independent at 7–10 months old, but remain with the mother until around 20 months old. Survival of the young depends heavily on the availability of prey species. In the wild both males and females reach sexual maturity at one year old, though in practice they rarely breed until a territory becomes vacant; one female was known not to breed until five years old when its mother died. The maximum longevity in the wild is 13 years.

As already mentioned, the Iberian lynx is a critically endangered species. The Iberian lynx is the world's most threatened species of cat, and the most threatened carnivore in Europe. Studies conducted in March 2005 have estimated the number of surviving Iberian lynx to be as few as 100, which is down from about 400 in 2000. If the Iberian lynx were to become extinct, it would be the first big cat species to do so since the extinction of the Smilodon. The only breeding populations are in Spain, living in the Donana National Park and in the Sierra de Andujar, Jaen.

The Iberian lynx and its habitat are fully protected and are no longer legally hunted. Its critical status is mainly due to habitat loss, poisoning, road casualties, feral dogs and poaching. Its habitat loss is due mainly to infrastructure improvement, urban & resort development, tree monocultivation (pine, pseudotsuga, eucalyptus) which serves to break the lynx's distribution area. In addition, the lynx prey population of rabbits is also declining due to diseases like myxomatosis and hemorrhagic pneumonia. On March 29, 2005, the birth of three cubs, the first born in captivity, was announced. Four more cubs were born in 2006, a hope for the future reintroduction of the species. Let's hope too, that this breed would live with us as much long as our World lasts!