Tuesday, December 01, 2009

December 2 - Bright Moon

Bright Moon - This Full moon will be one of the brightest, and appear larger since it coincides with the fourth-closest perigee of the year. This is when the moon reaches its closest point during orbit of the Earth.

Monday, November 23, 2009

November 23 - Spring Awakening

Waiting for Spring - After mating, female bats stock up on fat to prepare for Spring pregnancies. Females of many bat species delay fertilization by storing sperm during hibernation.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

November 11 - Amur Leopard

Amur Leopard - (Panthera pardus orientalis) One of the rarest feline species in the world, with an estimated 30 to 45 individuals remaining in the wild. They can be found in small ranges of the Russian Far East and Northern China.

Conservation efforts in Zoo's are complicated due to inbreeding with such a small pool of cats available in the program. An extremely rare sight of newborn cubs are renewed hope and cause for celebration for the rarest big cat on earth.

The Amur leopard is critically endangered, meaning that it is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Several conservation organizations are working to protect the Amur leopard. Below are a couple that you can check out for more information.

World Wildlife Fund - Amur Leopard Conservation

ALTA - Amur Leopard Conservation