MANY THANKS FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS AND FAVS........ PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT MY PHOTOSTREAM, FOR GENERAL PHOTOS ACROSS THE WHOLE SPECTRUM NATURE AND WILDLIFE.
© All Rights Reserved
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS AND FAVS........ PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT MY PHOTOSTREAM, FOR GENERAL PHOTOS OF NATURE ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF WILDLIFE.
An Amur Leopard cub, with eyes that tell a story, a story of hope for the future and survival of his kind.
Once roaming free over the temperate forest wilderness of Far East Russia, north-east China and the Korean Peninsular, the Amur leopard, or Siberian leopard, as it is also called, is now restricted to a protected reserve straddling the Russia/China border no bigger than Dorset, an English county.
Pushed to the brink of extinction, their numbers are precariously low, with less than about 70 living in the wild, making them the most critically endangered and rarest big cat in the world. Poaching and loss of habitat through illegal logging and urban development, remain the greatest threats to their survival.
With a worldwide breeding and re-introduction programme now in place, there is at least hope.
© All Rights Reserved
The Atlas moth is arguably the largest moth in the world, with a fermale wingspan reaching some 12'' in length. Sometimes, they are mistaken for birds. They are found throughout the tropical and subtropical forests of southeast Asia, especially within the Malay archipelago. This beautiful moth has no mouthparts and typically dies within a week or two of taking to the wing. They are called 'atlas moths', because of the sheer size of them and the map-like appearance of the pattern on their wings. The Cantonese name for them refers to the snakehead at the tip of each forewing, which has the effect of deterring predators. Caterillars produce a silk, which because it is broken, is not used commercially. In Taiwan their cocoons are used as purses.
© All Rights Reserved
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
A success story in the captive breeding programme to reintroduce the critically endangered amur leopards back into the wild in their natural habitat. The cub is one of a pair at the park.
© All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved