Name of species: Asian elephant

Phylogeny: Relationship between Woolly Mammoths & Modern Elephant

Classification: Mammals

Habitats:Giant herbivores, Asian elephants can tear down huge tree limbs or pick up small objects with their muscular trunks.

Niche: The niche for Asian elephants are to create watering holes and disperse seeds.

Diet & Feeding Strategy: 

1. Elephants eat between 149 and 169 kg (330-375 lb.) of vegetation daily.
2. Sixteen to eighteen hours, or nearly 80% of an elephant’s day is spent feeding. Elephants consume grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots.
3. Tree bark is a favorite food source for elephants. It contains calcium and roughage, which aids digestion. Tusks are used to carve into the trunk and tear off strips of bark
4. Elephants require about 68.4 to 98.8 L (18 to 26 gal.) of water daily, but may consume up to 152 L (40 gal.). An adult male elephant can drink up to 212 L (55 gal.) of water in less than five minutes.
5. To supplement the diet, elephants will dig up earth to obtain salt and minerals. The tusks are used to churn the ground. The elephant then places dislodged pieces of soil into its mouth, to obtain nutrients. Frequently these areas result in holes that are several feet deep and vital minerals are made accessible to other animals. Ex: Over time, African elephants have hollowed out deep caverns in a volcano mountainside on the Ugandan border, to obtain salt licks and minerals. Hills have been carved by Asian elephants in India and Sumatra searching for salt and minerals. These carved areas in the landscape provide valuable food and shelter resources for a diverse array of native wildlife.

Conservation Status: Endangered

Name : Slow Loris
Scientific name: Nycticebus
Sub species: N.menagensis, N.bancanus, N.borneanus and N.kanya
Classifiction :
     Kingdom: Animala
     Phylum: Chordata
     Class: Mammalia
     Order: Primates
     Family: Lorisidae
     Sunfamily: Lorisinae
     Genus: Nycticebus
Habitat : Forest



                                                       
They range from Bangladesh and Northeast India in the west to the Philippines in the east, and from the Yunnan province in China in the north to the island of Java in the south.

Niche: Slow lorises are nocturnal and arboreal, foraging and hunting in the trees at night. these primates are omnivore. They catch live food by remaining motionless until surprising their prey with a quick strike with their hands.

Adaptation:
- Stay in trees which helps keep away from pretators.
- Sleep during the day which also helps with staying away from pretators
- They have opposable thumbs. These thumbs (on all four legs) help them grip branches.
- Specialized blood vessels that give extra oxygen to their muscles allowing them to hold onto trees for hours on end without getting tired.
- Flexible back also allows them to hang on at odd angles including upside down.
- Unhurried movement could actually be a way that slow lorises avoid predators. They are very silent when they locomote.
- Thick skin, so if they are attacked, the teeth of the predator doesn’t sink in as much giving the slow loris more of a chance to survive.
- Large, dark markings that make their huge eyes appear even bigger, so nocturnal predators could get a glimpse of their eyes while hunting and mistake it for a bigger animal.

Diet :  Large mollusks, insects, lizards, birds, small mammals, eggs, gum and fruits.

Conservation status:
All five species of slow loris are listed as either vulnerable or endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They conservation status was originally listed as Least Concern in 2000, because of the rapidly decrease of their population from the selling of animal market, in 2007 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITESS) elevated them to Appendix I, which prohibits international commercial trade.   



 source: http://lemur.duke.edu/pygmy-slow-loris-habitat-conservation/
            

Malayan Tapir

Scientific Name: Tapirus indicus
Sub species: no have
Classification: 

• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Perissodactyla
• Family: Tapiridae
• Genus: Tapirus
• Species: indicus

Adaptations:

• Black White Black

The black on the front and back with white or gray in the middle is a form of camouflage that breaks up the tapir’s outline in the shadows of the forest. The stripes
and spots on the vulnerable young help them blend into the dappled sunlight and leaf shadows of the forest and protects them from predators.

• Prehensile Snout

This flexible extended nose is used for plucking leaves and shoots from trees as well as sniffing their way along forest trails. They have an excellent sense of smell and relyon scents for communication. Urine spraying is used to mark well-used pathways between feeding
areas and water sources.

• Barrel-Shaped Body

Tapirs have a thick heavy barrel-shaped body ideal for crashing through dense forest vegetation. When frightened or threatened, tapirs can run quickly. Despite their large size they can climb steep slopes on the banks of rivers. They are excellent swimmers and spend a lot of time in the water.

Diet:

• What Does It Eat?

In the wild: As a vegetarian, non-ruminant the tapir east tender leaves and shoots, aquatic plants, buds, soft twigs and fruits of low-growing shrubs.
At the zoo: Grain, alfalfa, apples, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, monkey chow.

• What Eats It?

Tigers and humans prey on the Malayan tapir.

Conservation Status:

• Status: Vulnerable.

The biggest threat to tapirs is habitat loss due to land clearance for human settlement and agriculture. In some areas they are hunted for food and for the live animal trade.

The Dhole

 

 

Dhole



The Dhole (Cuon alpinus)

 

also called the Asiatic wild dog or Indian wild dog, is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars

and greater number of teats.

 



Dholes are found is south and south east asia

The Canidea Family

 

 

Prey animals

include chital, sambar, muntjac, mouse deer, swamp deer, wild boar, gaur, water buffalo, banteng, cattle, nilgai, goats, Indian hares

 

Conservatuin Status

 

 

Natives kill them for protecting the stock

 

Hawksbill Turtle

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia 

Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Cheloniidae
Genus:	Eretmochelys
Species:	E. imbricata

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

Habitat

Adult hawksbill sea turtles are primarily found in tropical coral reefs. They are usually seen resting in caves and ledges in and around these reefs throughout the day. As a highly migratory species, they inhabit a wide range of habitats, from the open ocean to lagoons and even mangrove swamps.

Little is known about the habitat preferences of early life-stage E. imbricata; like other sea turtle young, they are assumed to be completely pelagic, remaining at sea until they mature.


  <Hawksbill Sea Turtle Range
Hawksbill sea turtles have a wide range, found in tropical reefs of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. Of all the sea turtle species, E. imbricata is the one most associated with tropical waters. Two major subpopulations are acknowledged to exist, the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subpopulations.

Diet: Omnivore, slightly into carnivore

Hawkbill sea turtles are normally found near reefs rich in the sponges they like to feed on. Hawksbills are omnivorous and will also eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, and jellyfish. Their hard shells protect them from many predators, but they still fall prey to large fish, sharks, crocodiles, octopuses, and humans.

Breeding

Like other sea turtles, hawksbills make incredible migrations in order to move from feeding sites to nesting grounds, normally on tropical beaches. Mating occurs every two to three years and normally takes place in shallow waters close to the shore. The nesting period begins when the turtles leave the sea to choose an area to lay their eggs. A pit is dug in the sand, filled with eggs, and then covered. At this stage the turtles return to the sea, leaving the eggs, which will hatch in about 60 days. The most dangerous time of their lives comes when hatchlings make the journey from their nests to the sea. Crabs and flocks of gulls voraciously prey on the young turtles during this short scamper.

Conservation Status

Like many sea turtles, hawksbills are a critically endangered species due mostly to human impact. Hawksbill eggs are still eaten around the world despite the turtle’s international protected status, and they are often killed for their flesh and their stunning shells. These graceful sea turtles are also threatened by accidental capture in fishing nets.

Did you know? Young hawksbill turtles are unable to dive deep and spend their early years floating amongst sea plants near the water’s surface.

Malayan Tiger

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/malayan

Scientific name : Panthera Tigris Jacksoni

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Panthera
Species:	P. tigris
Subspecies:	P. t. jacksoni

Habitats : Dense tropical forest 

NICHE

Tigers are stalk and ambush hunters. They can move quietly and slowly, their stripes helping them to hide in the tall grass while they stalk their prey. Their tongues, rough as sandpaper, help them to remove every last bit of meat from the bones of their meals. 

Tigers are good swimmers, they like water and will go into pools and rivers to cool off. In the wild, tigers are solitary. Each has its own range, though they sometimes overlap. Tigers use their retractable front claws to mark their territories by scratching on trees. This helps keep claws sharp as well. 

DIETS

Wild boar; swine, deer, antelope, water buffalo, wild cattle (in some regions of Asia, tigers may also hunt rhino and baby elephants), wild boar,goat

The Malayan tiger is a dominant and carnivorous predator, hunting it's prey by stalking it until the Malayan tiger has the opportunity to catch it off guard. Malayan tigers primarily hunt larger mammals including deer, wild boar, cattle and goats.

Due to the size and power of the Malayan tiger, it has no natural predators in its native environment. Humans that hunt the Malayan tiger and habitat loss are the only threats to the Malayan tiger.

Conservation status : endangered

Today, due to habitat loss caused by deforestation, and hunting by human poachers, the Malayan tiger is considered to be an endangered species. Modern estimates suggest that the current wild Malayan tiger population is between 600 and 800 individuals, making it one of the more numerous tiger species.

Reference

• http://www.funzoomiami.org/Animals/Asia/Mammals/Malayan-Tiger#
• http://a-z-animals.com/animals/malayan-tiger/
• http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/malayan
• http://www.arkive.org/tiger/panthera-tigris/image-G117540.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_tiger

SIAMESE CROCODILE

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Crocodylus siamensis

PHYLOGENY:The phylogenetic position of the Siamese crocodile is slightly controversial, but only because there are competing phylogenies for Crocodylus. Crocodylus crocodiles have often been thought to consist of distinct Indopacific and New World assemblages, with the Nile crocodile C. niloticus being a close relative of the New World assemblage. Morphological evidence suggests that the Siamese crocodile might be the sister-taxon to the Indopacific assemblage, or to a Mugger + Indopacific assemblage clade (Brochu 2000a, b, McAliley et al. 2006, Brochu & Storrs 2012).

CLASSIFICATION:

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Crocodylia
Family:	Crocodylidae
Genus:	Crocodylus
Scientific name:	Crocodylus porosus

HABITATS:  The Siamese crocodile mostly live in Southeast Asia. They live in a wide range of freshwater habitats, including slow-moving rivers and streams, lakes, marshes and swamplands.

NICHE:The Siamese crocodile is a small, freshwater crocodilian, with a relatively broad, smooth snout and an elevated, bony crest behind each eye. Overall, it is an olive-green colour, with some variation to dark-green. Young specimens measure 1.2–1.5 m (3.9–4.9 ft) and weigh 6–12 kg (13–26 lb), growing up to 2.1 m (6.9 ft) and a weight of 40–70 kg (88–150 lb) as an adult.The largest female specimens can measure 3.2 m (10 ft) and weight 150 kg (330 lb). Large male specimens can reach 4 m (13 ft) and 350 kg (770 lb) in weight. Most adults do not exceed 3 m (10 ft) in length, although hybrids in captivity can grow much larger.

DIET: The Siamese Crocodile is a freshwater crocodile. It tends not to attack people but prefers to feed on smaller prey, especially snakes, fish and rats.

CONSERVATION STATUS & THREATS: Siamese crocodiles areone of the most endangered crocodiles in the wild. They are nearly extinct in most countries except in Cambodia.This crocodile is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, and is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Images from:

http://www.fauna-flora.org/species/siamese-crocodile/

http://www.sospecies.org/sos_projects/reptiles/siamese_crocodile/



Agile Gibbon (Hylobates agilis)

Name of the species: Agile Gibbon (Hylobates Agilis)

These are sub-species of Agile Gibbon

Classification: Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae

Habitats:

• Thailand(south region)
• Malaysia
• Indonesia(Sumatra Island)

Adaptations: With its long arms they swing on branches. Like all gibbons, it lives in serially pairs in a strictly enforced territory, which is defended with vigorous visual displays and songs. In the tropical rain-forest.

Diet & Feeding strategy:The diet of the agile gibbon is generally frugivorous but have also been observed eating leaves, flowers, and insects.

Females give birth to a single offspring after seven months' gestation. The young gibbon is weaned at barely 2 years of age. When fully mature, at about 8 years, it leaves its family group in order to look for a mate.

Conservation Status:The species is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List due to habitat destruction and the pet trade.

King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Sauropsida
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Ophiophagus
Species:	O. hannah

the King cobra is vulnerable for various reasons, King Cobras are placed under Schedule II of Wildlife protection Act, 1972 (as amended). The person that kills the King will be imprisoned for up to 6 years.



 Hood extended



Hood retracted


    The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 18.5 to 18.8 ft (5.6 to 5.7 m).  This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through South-east Asia.  The King cobra is not a member of the genus "Naja" or in other words: true cobras,  It is in its own genus Ophiophagus. When a fully grown King cobra hoods and stands tall in a defensive posture; they can be tall enough to stare straight into a full grown man's eyes. The king cobra is considered to be a very dangerous snake for various reasons and has a fearsome reputation in its range, although they often avoid contact with humans but they can and will stand there ground when necessary.

Diet
Ophiophagus means "snake eater" in greek. and its diet consists primarily of other snakes, including rat snakes, small pythons and even other venomous snakes such as various members of the true cobras (of the genus (Naja), and even the much more venomous krait. When food is scarce, they may also feed on other small vertebrates, such as lizards, birds, and rodents. In some cases, the cobra may "constrict" its prey, such as birds and larger rodents, using its muscular body, though this is uncommon. After a large meal, the snake may live for many months without another one because of its slow metabolic rate. The king cobra's most common meal is the rat snake; pursuit of this species often brings king cobras close to human settlements.


Taxonomy

Ophiophagus hannah belongs to the monotypic genus Ophiophagus. It is classified under the family Elapidae.

The king cobra is the sole member of genus Ophiophagus, while most other cobras are members of the genus Naja. They can be distinguished from other cobras by size and hood. King cobras are generally larger than other cobras, and the stripe on the neck is a chevron instead of a double or single eye shape that may be seen in most of the other Asian cobras. Moreover, the hood of the king cobra is narrower and longer. A foolproof method of identification is if on the head, clearly visible, is the presence of a pair of large scales known as occipitals, at the back of the top of the head. These are behind the usual "nine-plate" arrangement typical of colubrids and elapids, and are unique to the king cobra.

Distribution and habitat

The king cobra is distributed across the Indian Subcontinent, South-east Asia, and the southern areas of East Asia (where it is not common). It lives in dense highland forests, preferring areas dotted with lakes and streams. King cobra populations have dropped in some areas of its range because of the destruction of forests. It is listed as an Appendix II Animal within CITES.

Behavior

A king cobra, like other snakes, receives chemical information via its forked tongue, which picks up scent particles and transfers them to a special sensory receptor (Jacobson's organ) located in the roof of its mouth. This is akin to the human sense of smell. When the scent of a meal is detected, the snake flicks its tongue to gauge the prey's location (the twin forks of the tongue acting in stereo); it also uses its keen eyesight (king cobras are able to detect moving prey almost 100 m away), intelligence, and sensitivity to earth-borne vibration to track its prey.

Following envenomation, the king cobra will begin to swallow its struggling prey while its toxins begin the digestion of its victim. King cobras, like all snakes, have flexible jaws. The jaw bones are connected by pliable ligaments, enabling the lower jaw bones to move independently. This allows the king cobra to swallow its prey whole, as well as letting it swallow prey much larger than its head.

King cobras are able to hunt throughout the day, although it is rarely seen at night, leading most herpetologists to classify it as a diurnal species.

Niche
The King's niche is itself! there is no other competitive snake out there. The only problem for the King is human habitats and deforestation. they primarily prey on snakes but under extreme circumstances they may prey on other vertebrates such as lizards or birds.



King eating a rat snake.








Adult King Cobra.

Burmese Python

 

Burmese Python

Species  : Bivittatus Python 

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Reptile

 

 Habitat : Myanmar Malaysia Thai  India  

Niche :  Forest live on the ground don't like to live at tree and water 

Diet and Feeding strategy : small mammal sometime the big animal 

conversation status : Vulnerable

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Pythonidae
Genus:	Python

Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier

Habitats

Tiger sharks are found in many tropical and temperate waters, and it is especially common around central Pacific islands. Large specimens can grow to as much as 20 to 25 feet in length and weigh more than 1,900 pounds.

Niche

They have an excellent senses of sight and smell to hunt their prey.


Diet and feeding strategy

They have sharp, highly serrated teeth and powerful jaws that allow them to crack the shells of sea turtles and clams. All tiger sharks generally swim slowly to make them difficult for prey to detect them in some habitats,They are also especially well camouflaged against dark backgrounds. 
The tiger shark is an apex predator and has a reputation for eating anything.


Conservation status

They have extremely low repopulation rates, and therefore may be highly susceptible to fishing pressure. They are listed as near threatened throughout their range.

This is a new Blog created by students on the AS level Biology at Amnuay Silpa School, Bangkok. The students will be investigating the ecology, phylogeny, behaviour, and conservation status (including details of local conservation projects) of animals and plants that are native to Thailand.