The cave lion, also known as the European or Eurasian cave lion, is an extinct subspecies of lion

known from fossils and a wide variety of prehistoric art. This subspecies was one of the largest
lions. An adult male, which was found in 1985 near Siegsdorf (Germany), had a shoulder height of
around 1.2 m and a length of 2.1 m without a tail, which is about the same size as a very big modern
lion. This male was even exceeded by other specimens of this subspecies. Therefore this cat may
have been around 5-10% bigger than modern lions. It apparently went extinct about 10,000 years
ago, during the Wrm glaciation, though there are some indications it may have existed as recently
as 2,000 years ago, in the Balkans. This time "big" is the reason we include this special cat on this
list.
Cave lion, also known as European cave lion and Eurasian cave lion, is the common name for a
extinct, large, wild felid, Panthera leo spelaea (or P. spelaea), which lived from about 370,000 to
10,000 years ago. Known from fossils and multiple examples of prehistoric art, the cave ion is
characterized by large size (larger than the modern lion), rounded, protruding ears, tufted tail, and
perhaps faint, tiger-like stripes. While commonly considered an extinct subspecies of
the lion (Panthera leo), the cave lion is considered by some as a separate species.
Inhabiting Europe until about the time of the last European Ice Age, the cave lion lived at the same
time as Neanderthals (250,000 years ago until 30,000 years ago) and Cro-Magnonman (40,000 to
10,000 years ago) and have been depicted in cave paintings, among other art. The common name
comes from their graphic appearance in caves, although they probably did not live in them.
During its time, the cave lion was one of the key members of the Pleistocene fauna in Eurasia,
during which time it was widespread. For human beings, various archaeological artifactssuggest
that they were featured in Paleolithic religious rituals. Also, they were hunted by human beings.
The cave lion appeared after the earlier species Panthera leo fossilis, which first appeared in Europe
about 700,000 years ago, but generally is poorly represented in the European records and so far
unknown in Asia (Sotnikova and Nikolskiy 2006). The cave lion itself lived from 370,000 to 10,000
years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch. Apparently, it became extinct about 10,000 years ago
(Hublin 1984, Lessem and Sovak 1999), during the Wrm glaciation, although there are some
indications it may have existed into historic times in southeastern Europe, as recently as 2,000
years ago in the Balkans (Guggisberg 1975).
Cave lions were widespread during the Late Pleistocene (Sotnikova and Nikolskiy 2006), being
found in parts of Europe and Asia, from Great Britain, Germany and France (Arduini & Teruzzi,
1993) all the way to the Bering Strait and from Siberia to Turkistan. At roughly the same time the
related P. atrox was existing in North America (Sotnikova and Nikolskiy 2006).
The cave lions extinction appears linked to the Quaternary extinction event, which wiped out most
of the megafauna prey in those regions. Cave paintings and remains found in the refuse piles of
ancient camp sites indicate that they were hunted by early humans, which also may have
contributed to their demise (WMM 2004)..









It was a beauty and eye catchy creature as we walk our way through the forest, that is the major
reason of why this is considered as one of the most amazing extinct land animals. Its first record of
was by herpetologist Jay Savage in 1966. The Golden Toad, recognized by its brilliant golden orange
color, was native to the tropical cloud forests which surround Monteverde, Costa Rica. None have
been seen since 1989. It last bred in normal numbers in 1987, and its breeding sites were well
known. In 1987, due to erratic weather, the pools dried up before the larva had matured. Out of
potential 30,000 toads, only 29 had survived. In 1988, only eight males and two females could be
located. In 1989, a single male was found, this was the last record of the species. Extensive searches
since this time have failed to produce any more records of the golden toad.
The extinct Golden Toad (Bufo periglenes) was a small, shiny, bright-orange toad that was once
abundant in a small region of high-altitude cloud-covered tropical forests, about 30 square
kilometers in area, above the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. For this reason, it is sometimes also
called the Monteverde Golden Toad, or the Monte Verde Toad.
The Golden Toad was described in 1966 by the herpetologist Jay Savage. Since 1989, not a single
Golden Toad has been seen anywhere in the world, and it is classified by the IUCN as an extinct
species.
Frogs or amphibians are extremely sensitive indicators of environmental changes, as the uptake of
oxygen and water through their skin can increase concentrations of pollutants, and the life cycle of
frogs and toads exposes them to water and airborne contaminants. Amphibians are so sensitive to
changes in the environment that scientists have likened them to a canary in a coalmine.
It is known that droughts have large impacts on many of the forests of Central America, and the
timing and severity of drought is often the strongest climatic influence on the ecology of tropical
moist forests. Mike Hulme and Nicola Sheard of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East
Anglia say that climate change may already be altering the ecology of the Monteverde cloud forest
in Costa Rica. This tropical forest environment, reaching up to 1500m above sea-level, relies on
low-hanging clouds for delivering much of the moisture the forest needs during the January-April
dry season. An increasing number of dry days since the 1970s has reduced the mist frequency in
this montane forest, a trend which has been compounded by increased temperatures, especially
during night-hours. These climate changes have restricted the habitat for many of the 50 montane
frog species that used to inhabit this forest.
The Monteverde cloud forest provided the only known habitat for the extinct golden toad which,
along with the harlequin frog and 20 other amphibious species, became extinct around 1986-87.
This coincided with a major El Nioevent when climatic conditions in Costa Rica were particularly
warm and dry.
Mike and Nicola maintain that future climate change is likely to exacerbate this situation with
more frequent dry winters and warmer temperatures. By the 2050s, dry winters will become up to
twice as frequent and warm winters will occur in between 50 and 100 per cent of years. This is
likely to lead to many more periods during future winter dry seasons when clouds will be less
prevalent over the mountain forests, thus seriously damaging this unique mountain habitat for
amphibians and cloud-forest lizard species.
Many species that are unable to adapt to the changes human are inflicting on the Earth, and are
facing extinction. In fact, predictions estimate that up to 1 million species may become extinct as a
result of climate change. The extinct Golden Toad and rapid demise of the Harlequin Frog are
examples of how humans are significantly reducing Earths biodiversity.







The Irish Elk was the largest deer that ever lived. Its home was Eurasia, from Ireland into the lakes
at Baikal, and it lived during the Pleistocen area. The last of the giant deer died out about 7
thousand years ago.
The cause of their extinction has remained to be discussed focusing on the antlers (rather than on
their overall body size), which may be due more to their impact on the observer than any actual
property. Some have suggested hunting by man was a contributing factor in the demise of the Irish
Elk as it was with many prehistoric megafauna. But evidence for overhunting is equivocal, and as a
continental species, it would have co-evolved with humans throughout its existence and
presumably have adapted to their presence. Imagine if this giant elk as one of the most amazing
extinct land animals still exist?
Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus), also called Irish deer or giant deer, extinct species ofdeer,
characterized by immense body size and wide antlers, commonly found as fossils in Pleistocene
deposits in Europe and Asia (the Pleistocene Epoch began 2.6 million years ago and ended about
11,700 years ago). Despite its distribution throughout Eurasia, the species was most abundant
in Ireland. Although several other species of Megaloceros are known, the Irish elk was the largest. It
was about the size of the modern moose (Alces alces) and had the largest antlers of any form
of deer knownin some specimens, 4 metres (about 13 feet) across. The antlers differed from
those of the modern deer: the main part was a massive single sheet from which arose a series of
pointed projections, or tines.
Many scientists contend that the Irish elk succumbed to starvation and went extinct during the
most recent ice age; however, fossils of M. giganteus uncovered in Siberia have been dated to
approximately 7,0008,000 years ago, a period characterized by warm temperatures.









These enormous vegetarians can be found in warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia,
including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific. Dugongs are related to manatees and are similar in
appearance and behavior though the dugong's tail is fluked like a whale's. Both are related to the
elephant, although the giant land animal is not at all similar in appearance or behavior.
Dugongs graze on underwater grasses day and night, rooting for them with their bristled, sensitive
snouts and chomping them with their rough lips.
These mammals can stay underwater for six minutes before surfacing. They sometimes breathe by
"standing" on their tail with their heads above water.
Dugongs spend much of their time alone or in pairs, though they are sometimes seen gathered in
large herds of a hundred animals.
Female dugongs have one calf after a yearlong pregnancy, and the mother helps her young reach
the surface and take its first breath. A young dugong remains close to its mother for about 18
months, sometimes catching a ride on her broad back.
These languid animals make an easy target for coastal hunters, and they were long sought for their
meat, oil, skin, bones, and teeth. Dugongs are now legally protected throughout their range, but
their populations are still in a tenuous state.
Some believe that dugongs were the inspiration for ancient seafaring tales of mermaids and sirens.
Dugongs occur in tropical and subtropical waters around the world.
Dugongs are large grey mammals which spend their entire lives in the sea. Fully grown, they may
be three metres long and weigh 400 kilograms. Dugongs swim by moving their broad whale-like tail
in an up and down motion, and by use of their two flippers. They come to the surface to breathe
through nostrils near the top of their snouts. Dugongs' only hairs are the bristles near the mouth.
Dugongs are subject to a range of human threats throughout their global distribution, including
entanglement in shark nets for bather protection, entanglement in fishing nets (e.g. mesh and gill
nets), entanglement in marine debris (see theThreat Abatement Plan for the impacts of marine
debris on vertebrate marine life), loss and degradation of important habitat such as seagrass
meadows, unsustainable traditional use and collisions with boats (also known as boat strikes).
Legislative protection
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
In Australia, dugongs are protected under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Act 1999(EPBC Act), which lists them as marine and migratory species, and various
State and Northern Territory legislation.
EPBC Act Status and Documents - Dugong dugon Dugong
Dugongs are an integral part of the traditional culture of many coastal indigenous peoples
throughout the world. Dugongs may be legally hunted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people under section 211 of the Native Title Act 1993 for personal, domestic or non commercial
communal needs.
International conventions
Internationally, dugong are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wilde Fauna and Flora (CITES), and on Appendix II of the Convention
on Migratory Species (the CMS). Australia is a signatory to both these conventions. More recently,
an internationalMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Conservation and Management of
Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range (link is external) was developed under the CMS.
Australia is a signatory to the MoU which entered into force on 31 October 2007. The MoU is
designed to facilitate national level and transboundary actions that will lead to the conservation of
dugong populations and their habitats.
Habitat and biology
Habitat
Dugongs undertake long-distance movements, which means Australia shares populations with
other neighbouring countries. In Australia, dugongs occur in the shallow coastal waters of northern
Australia from the Queensland/New South Wales border in the east to Shark Bay on the Western
Australian coast. They are also found in other parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans in warm
shallow seas in areas where seagrass is found.
Shelter
Dugongs are usually found in shallow waters protected from large waves and storms. They may
also swim in deeper water, further offshore, in areas where the continental shelf is wide, shallow
and protected.
Breeding
Female dugongs give birth underwater to a single calf at three to seven year intervals. The calf stays
with its mother, drinking milk from her teats and following close by until one or two years of age.
Dugongs reach adult size between 4 and 17 years of age. These low breeding rates, long-term care
of their calves, long time between calves, as well as their dependence on seagrass, make dugongs
vulnerable to human threats.
Diet
Dugongs are sometimes called 'sea cows' because they graze on seagrasses. These marine plants
look like grass growing on a sandy sea floor in shallow, warm water. Dugongs need to eat large
amounts of seagrass.
Defence
Dugongs are slow-moving and have little protection against predators. Being large animals,
however, only large sharks, saltwater crocodiles and killer whales are a danger to them. Young
dugongs hide behind their mothers when in danger.
Indigenous culture and dugongs
Dugongs have important cultural and social values for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
living in coastal areas of northern Australia. Hunting these species is important for maintaining
family relations (kinship) and social structure, has important ceremonial and community purposes
and also provides valuable protein in regions where fresh food is expensive and difficult to obtain.
Indigenous communities are working collaboratively with government agencies and scientists to
develop and implement community-based management for sustainable hunting of dugongs. This
work is primary supported through the Australian Government's Caring for Our Country and
Working on Country programs.
Under the Native Title Act 1993, Traditional Owners have the right to take marine resources,
including hunting of dugongs for personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs and in
exercise and enjoyment of their native title rights and interests.









This aquatic member of the weasel family is found along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean in North
America and Asia. The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes
ashore to sleep or rest. Sea otters have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to keep them dry and
warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water.
Sea otters often float at the water's surface, lying on their backs in a posture of serene repose. They
sleep this way, often gathered in groups. Otters sometimes float in forests of kelp, or giant seaweed,
in which they entangle themselves to provide anchorage in the swirling sea.
These aquatic otters do more than sleep while floating on their backs. They are often seen with a
clam or mussel and a rock that has been deftly snared from the ocean floor. Otters will place the
rock on their chests, and repeatedly smash the shellfish against it until it breaks open to reveal the
tasty meal inside. They also dine on such aquatic creatures as sea urchins, crabs, squid, octopuses,
and fish.
Sea otters are the only otters to give birth in the water. Mothers nurture their young while floating
on their backs. They hold infants on their chests to nurse them, and quickly teach them to swim and
hunt.
Sea otters are meticulously clean. After eating, they wash themselves in the ocean, cleaning their
coat with their teeth and paws. They have good reason to take care of their coatsit helps them to
remain waterproof and insulated against the cold. Sea otters have thick underfur that traps air to
form an insulating layer against the chilly waters (they have no insulating fat). This coat is
invaluable to otters, but it has worth to some humans as well.
Sea otters were hunted for their fur to the point of near extinction. Early in the 20th century only
1,000 to 2,000 animals remained. Today, 100,000 to 150,000 sea otters are protected by law.
Description
Sea otters are members of the weasel or mustelid family. Like other members of this family, they
have very thick fur. In fact, at 850,000 to one million hairs per square inch, they have the thickest
fur of any mammal. Their fur actually consists of two layers, an undercoat and longer guard hairs.
This system traps a layer of air next to their skin so their skin does not get wet. Sea otters are
usually dark brown, often with lighter guard hairs. Alaskan sea otters tend to have lighter fur on
their heads. Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal. In California adult females weigh 35-60
pounds (16-27 kg); males reach up to 90 pounds (40 kg). Alaskan sea otters are bigger with males
weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kg).
Range/Habitat
Sea otters once ranged from Mexico to Alaska and even to Japan. Currently, the California
population numbers around 2,800 and is found from Half Moon Bay to Morro Bay. There is a much
larger population in Alaska, and sea otters are still found in Russia. Sea otters inhabit shallow
coastal areas and prefer places with kelp. The kelp acts as an anchor that the sea otters use to wrap
themselves in when they are resting.
Mating/Breeding
Females give birth to one pup and usually have their first pup at the age of four or five. Their
pregnancies last four to five months. Pups can be born any time of year, but in California most are
born between January and March, and in Alaska most are born in the summer. When born, the pups
weigh from three to five pounds.
Behavior
Sea otters are social animals, with females and pups spending time together in one group and males
in another. Pups stay with their mothers for the first eight months of their life. The pups' fur traps
so much air that they actually cannot dive under water. When mothers leave the pups wrapped in
kelp to hunt, pups bob on the surface of the ocean like a cork. Mothers spend much time grooming
pups and often carry them on their chests. Pups begin to learn to swim at around four weeks of age.
Sea otters are one of the few animals to use tools. They eat animals with shells, like clams and
abalone, and use a stone to break open the shells. When sea otters are under water searching for
food, they store what they have found in the loose skin folds at their armpits. Adult sea otters can
eat 25%-30% of their body weight in one day!
Status
Sea otters in California are a threatened species due to past over hunting for their beautiful fur.
Although sea otters are protected now, they remain vulnerable, especially to oil spills. Unlike other
marine mammals, sea otters do not have a blubber layer. Therefore, they rely on their fur to keep
warm. If their fur is oiled, it loses its insulating qualities and the sea otters soon chill. Otters are also
affected by the oil fumes or poisoned by eating food exposed to oil. Most sea otters quickly die in an
oil spill. Several thousand sea otters died in the 1989 Exxon oil spill in Valdez, Alaska. Other threats
to sea otters include infectious diseases, parasites, boat strikes, entanglements, and toxins.
At The Marine Mammal Center
The Marine Mammal Center began rehabilitating sea otters in 1995. Since that time, we have
rescued up to 207 sea otters.










The kakapo (Mori: kkp, night parrot), Strigops habroptilus (Gray, 1845), also called owl
parrot, is a species of large, flightless,nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot of the super-
family Strigopoidea endemic to New Zealand.
[2]
It has finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a
distinct facial disc of sensory, vibrissa-like feathers, a large grey beak, short legs, large feet, and
wings and a tail of relatively short length. A combination of traits make it unique among its kind; it
is the world's only flightless parrot, the heaviest parrot, nocturnal, herbivorous, visiblysexually
dimorphic in body size, has a low basal metabolic rate, no male parental care, and is the only parrot
to have a polygynous lekbreeding system. It is also possibly one of the world's longest-living
birds.
[3]
Its anatomy typifies the tendency of bird evolution on oceanic islands, with few predators
and abundant food: a generally robust physique, with accretion of thermodynamic efficiency at the
expense of flight abilities, reduced wing muscles, and a diminished keel on the sternum.
[3]
Like
many other New Zealand bird species, the kakapo was historically important to the Mori, the
indigenous people of New Zealand, appearing in many of their traditional legends and folklore. It
was hunted and used as a resource by Mori, both for its meat as a food source and for its feathers,
which were used to make highly valued pieces of clothing. It was also sometimes kept as a pet.
The kakapo is critically endangered; as of March 2014, with an additional six
[4]
from the first
hatchings since 2011, the total known population is only 126
[5]
living individuals, as reported by
the Kakapo Recovery programme, most of which have been given names.
[6]
Because of Polynesian
and European colonisation and the introduction of predators such as cats, rats, ferrets, and stoats,
the kakapo was almost wiped out. Conservation efforts began in the 1890s, but they were not very
successful until the implementation of the Kakapo Recovery plan in the 1980s. As of April 2012,
surviving kakapo are kept on three predator-free islands, Codfish (Whenua Hou), Anchor and Little
Barrier islands, where they are closely monitored.
[7][8]
Two large Fiordland
islands, Resolution and Secretary, have been the subject of large-scale ecological
restoration activities to prepare self-sustaining ecosystems with suitable habitat for the kakapo.
The New Zealand government is willingly providing the use of these islands to kakapo
conservation.
The kakapo is a large, rotund parrot; the male measures up to 60 cm (24 in) and weighs from 2 to
4 kg (4 to 9 lb) at maturity.
[17]
The kakapo cannot fly, having short wings for its size and lacking the
pronounced keel bone (sternum) that anchors the flight muscles of other birds. It uses its wings for
balance, support, and to break its fall when leaping from trees. Unlike other land birds, the kakapo
can accumulate large amounts of body fat to store energy, making it the heaviest parrot.
[3]

The upper parts of the kakapo have yellowish moss-green feathers barred or mottled with black or
dark brownish grey, blending well with native vegetation. Individuals may have strongly varying
degrees of mottling and colour tone and intensity museum specimens show that some birds had
completely yellow colouring. The breast and flank are yellowish-green streaked with yellow. The
belly, undertail, neck and face are predominantly yellowish, streaked with pale green and weakly
mottled with brownish-grey. Because the feathers do not need the strength and stiffness required
for flight, they are exceptionally soft, giving rise to the specific epithet habroptilus. The kakapo has a
conspicuous facial disc of fine feathers, resembling the face of an owl; thus, early European settlers
called it the "owl parrot". The beak is surrounded by delicate vibrissae or "whiskers", which the
bird uses to sense the ground for navigation as it walks with its head lowered. The mandible is
mostly ivory-coloured, with part of the upper mandible being bluish-grey. The eyes are dark brown.
Kakapo feet are large, scaly, and, as in all parrots, zygodactyl (two toes face forward and two
backward). The pronounced claws are particularly useful for climbing. The ends of the tail feathers
often become worn from being continually dragged on the ground.
[3]

The "whiskers" around the beak.
The female is easily distinguished from the male: she has a more narrow and less domed head, her
beak is narrower and proportionally longer, her cere and nostrils smaller, her legs and feet more
slender and pinkish grey, and her tail proportionally longer. While her plumage colour is not very
different from that of the male, the toning is more subtle, with less yellow and mottling. She tends to
resist more and be more aggressive than the male when handled. A nesting female also has a brood
patch on the bare skin of the belly.
[3]

Like many parrots, the kakapo has a variety of calls. As well as the booms (see below for a
recording) and chings of their mating calls, it will often skraark to announce its location to other
birds.
[18]

The kakapo has a well-developed sense of smell, which complements its nocturnal lifestyle.
[19]
It can
discriminate among odours while foraging; a behaviour reported for only one other parrot
species.
[19]
One of the most striking characteristics of the kakapo is its pleasant and powerful odour,
which has been described as musty.
[18]
Given the kakapo's well-developed sense of smell, this scent
may be a socialchemosignal. The smell often alerts predators to the largely defenceless kakapo.
[20]

It seems that the kakapo like many of New Zealand's bird species has evolved to occupy
an ecological niche normally filled by various species of mammal (the only non-marine mammals
native to New Zealand are three species of small bats). Before the arrival of humans, the kakapo
was distributed throughout the three main islands of New Zealand. It lived in a variety of habitats,
includingtussocklands, scrublands and coastal areas. It also inhabited forests, including those
dominated by podocarps (rimu, matai, kahikatea,totara), beeches, tawa, and rata. In Fiordland,
areas of avalanche and slip debris with regenerating and heavily fruiting vegetation such as five
finger, wineberry, bush lawyer, tutu, hebes, and coprosmas became known as "kakapo
gardens".
[22]

The kakapo is primarily nocturnal; it roosts under cover in trees or on the ground during the day
and moves around its territories at night.
[2]

Though the kakapo cannot fly, it is an excellent climber, ascending to the crowns of the tallest trees.
It can also "parachute" descending by leaping and spreading its wings. In this way it may travel a
few metres (yards) at an angle of less than 45 degrees.
[3]

Having lost the ability to fly, it has developed strong legs. Movement is often by way of a rapid "jog-
like" gait by which it can move many kilometres.
[17]
A female has been observed making two return
trips each night during nesting from her nest to a food source up to 1 km (0.6 mi) away
[23]
and the
male may walk from its home range to a mating arena up to 5 km (3 mi) away during the mating
season (OctoberJanuary).
[24]

Young birds indulge in play fighting, and one bird will often lock the neck of another under its
chin.
[25]
The kakapo is curious by nature and has been known to interact with humans.
Conservation staff and volunteers have engaged extensively with some kakapo, which have distinct
personalities.
[26]

The kakapo was a very successful species in pre-human New Zealand,
[27]
and one of the reasons for
this was their set of adaptations to effectively avoid predation from native birds of prey, which
were their only predators in the past. However, these same behaviours have been of no use to them
when faced with the mammalian predators which were introduced to New Zealand after human
settlement, because these hunt in different ways. As hunters, birds behave very differently from
mammals, relying on their powerful vision to find prey, and thus they usually (with the exception of
owls) hunt by day.
[27]
Apart from the two surviving New Zealand raptors, the New Zealand
falcon and swamp harrier, there were two other birds of prey in pre-human New Zealand: Haast's
eagle and Eyles' harrier.
[27]
All four species soared overhead searching for prey in daylight, and to
avoid these avian predators, the kakapo's ancestors adopted camouflaged plumage and became
nocturnal. In addition, when the kakapo feels threatened, it freezes, so that it is more effectively
camouflaged in the forest vegetation which their plumage resembles. It was not entirely safe at
night, when the laughing owl was active, and it is apparent from their nest deposits on Canterbury
limestone cliffs that the kakapo was among their prey.
[28]

Mammalian predators, in contrast to birds, rely on their sense of smell and hearing to find prey and
often hunt by night.
[27]
The kakapo's adaptations to avoid avian predation have thus been useless
against its new enemies this is one of the reasons for its massive decline since the introduction of
dogs, cats and mustelids see Conservation: Human impact. A typical way for humans to hunt down
the kakapo is by releasing trained dogs.
[29]

Diet[edit]
The beak of the kakapo is adapted for grinding food finely. For this reason, the kakapo has a very
small gizzard compared to other birds of their size. It is generally herbivorous, eating native plants,
seeds, fruits, pollen and even the sapwood of trees. A study in 1984 identified 25 plant species as
kakapo food.
[2]
It is particularly fond of the fruit of the rimutree, and will feed on it exclusively
during seasons when it is abundant. The kakapo has a distinctive habit of grabbing a leaf or frond
with a foot and stripping the nutritious parts of the plant out with its beak, leaving a ball of
indigestible fibre. These little clumps of plant fibres are a distinctive sign of the presence of the
bird.
[30][31]
The kakapo is believed to employ bacteria in the fore-gut to ferment and help digest
plant matter.
[32]

Kakapo diet changes according to the season. The plants eaten most frequently during the year
include some species of Lycopodium ramulosum, Lycopodium fastigium, Schizaea fistulosa, Blechnum
minus, Blechnum procerum, Cyathodes juniperina, Dracophyllum longifolium, Olearia
colensoi and Thelymitra venosa. Individual plants of the same species are often treated differently.
The kakapo leaves conspicuous evidence of their feeding activities, from 1010 m (3030 ft) to
50100 m (160300 ft) feeding ground areas.
[2]
Manuka and yellow silver pine scrubs are obvious
signs of its centre of feeding activities.











Menzies wallflower is a California endangered plant species, which means that killing or
possession of plants collected from the wild is prohibited by theCalifornia Endangered Species Act
(CESA). Three subspecies of Menzies wallflower are each separately listed as endangered under
the federalEndangered Species Act, however these subspecies names are not considered to be
validly published. Menzies wallflower is found in Northern and Central California at four disjunct
dune systems along the Pacific Ocean. These four locations are Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County,
Ten Mile River in Mendocino County, the Marina Dunes at Monterey Bay, and the Monterey
Peninsula in Monterey County. At the time of this webpage posting, the California Natural Diversity
Database reports 19 occurrences of Menzies wallflower, three of which are possibly extirpated.
Menzies wallflower is a perennial plant, but it flowers and produces fruit only once during its
lifetime and then dies. Menzies wallflower typically blooms from March through April.
Threats to Menzies wallflower include displacement by invasive plant species; trampling from
hikers and equestrians; sand mining; commercial and residential development; off-road vehicle
use; erosion and impacts from deer grazing. Because some occurrences are now protectively
managed or on land owned by state or federal agencies, they are afforded some protection from
development, mining and off-road vehicle use. However, Menzies wallflower remains vulnerable,
particularly on unprotected land.
To protect Menzies wallflower from extinction, occupied habitat should be protected by purchasing
land, establishing conservation easements, or by other legal mechanisms; permanent and ongoing
invasive species control and prevention should be funded and institutionalized at Menzies
wallflower populations; populations of Menzies wallflower should be monitored and population
estimates should be conducted; genetic and morphological investigations into Menzies wallflower
taxonomy should be conducted; reintroduction and restoration opportunities should be pursued;
and impacts from deer and erosion should be reduced.












The Snowdonia hawkweed is one of the world's rarest plants with just one surviving specimen
known. Amazingly, it was rediscovered in 2002 after a 35-year period when it was thought to be
extinct(2). This hawkweed forms a rosette of gently toothed lance-shaped leaves which narrow
towards the base to form a shaggy stalk. A slender stem bears a cluster of deep golden-yellow
flower heads. The bases of the flower heads are surrounded by a whorl of black, velvety bracts
(modified leaves), known as an 'involucre'