Have You Herd About Animals?

We are back with a bonus episode, Herders! WELCOME TO SHARK WEEK! We are doing a quick episode on Deep Blue that largest known Great White Shark and we are also talking about multiple sharks and how they interact with the environment!

ITS THUNDERING TIME. SEASON FINALE YALL

The thunderbird is a legendary creature in particular North American indigenous peoples' history and culture. It is considered a supernatural being of power and strength.

It is especially important and frequently depicted in the art, songs, and oral histories of many Pacific Northwest Coast cultures, but is also found in various forms among some peoples of the American Southwest, East Coast of the United States, Great Lakes, and Great Plains. In modern times it has achieved notoriety as a purported cryptid, similar to creatures such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster.

The Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus), also known as Sunda colugo, Malayan flying lemur and Malayan colugo, is native to Southeast Asia ranging from southern Myanmar, Thailand, southern Vietnam, Malaysia to Singapore and Indonesia.[3]

Although it is called "flying lemur", it cannot fly but glides among trees and is strictly arboreal. It is active at night, and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruits. After a 60-day gestation period, a single offspring is carried on the mother's abdomen held by a large skin membrane.[4][5] It is a forest-dependent species.

The Sunda flying lemur is protected by national legislation. The Sunda flying lemurs are often hunted by local people with spears or other lethal equipment for various reasons such as food and fur. Habitat loss is known to occur intermittently, particularly in developing countries such as Malaysia.[3] In addition to deforestation and loss of habitat, local subsistence hunting poses a serious threat to this animal. Competition with the plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) represents another challenge for this species. More information is needed on population declines, but at present, the rate of the decline is not believed to merit listing in any category lower than least concern.[2]

We swear this animal looks like a wizard. Swear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Markhor_Schraubenziege_Capra_falconeri_Zoo_Augsburg-02.jpg

The markhor (Capra falconeri) /ˈmɑːrkɔːr/ is a large Capra (goat) species native to Central Asia, mainly within Pakistan, the Karakoram range, and the Himalayas. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened since 2015.[2]

The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan, where it is also known (in English) as the “screw-horn” or screw-horned goat.[3] The word mārkhor (مارخور), meaning “snake-eater“, comes from both Urdu and classical Persian languages, referencing the ancient belief that the markhor would actively kill and consume snakes.[4] This regional myth is believed to stem from the “snake-like” form of the male markhor’s horns, twisting and curling like a snake, possibly leading ancient peoples to associate them with snakes.

PIKA PIKA, Herders!

A pika is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal native to Asia and North America. With short limbs, a very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative, the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears.[3] The large-eared pika of the Himalayas and nearby mountains lives at elevations of more than 6,000 m (20,000 ft).

Pikas prefer rocky slopes and graze on a range of plants, primarily grasses, flowers, and young stems. In the autumn they pull hay, soft twigs, and other stores of food into their burrows to eat during the long, cold winter.[4] The pika is also known as the whistling hare because of its high-pitched alarm call when diving into its burrow.

The name "pika" appears to be derived from the Tungus pika,[5] and the scientific name Ochotona is from the Mongolian word outrun-a, оготно, which means pika.[6] It is used for any member of the Ochotonidae (/ɒkətoʊnɪdeɪ/),[7] a family within the order of lagomorphs which also includes the Leporidae (rabbits and hares). Only one genus, Ochotona[7] (/ɒkəˈtoʊnə/ or /ɒtʃəˈtoʊnə/), is extant within the family, covering 37 species, though many fossil genera are known. Another species, the Sardinian pika, belonging to the separate genus Prolagus, has become extinct within the last 2000 years owing to human activity.

The two species found in North America are the American pika, found primarily in the mountains of the western United States and far southwestern Canada, and the collared pika of northern British Columbia, the Yukon, western Northwest Territories and Alaska.

Shine bright like a Star Nosed Mole!

The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a small semiaquatic mole found in moist, low elevation areas in the northern parts of North America.[3] It is the only extant member of the tribe Condylurini and genus Condylura, and it has more than 25,000 minute sensory receptors in touch organs, known as Eimer's organs, with which this hamster-sized mole feels its way around. With the help of its Eimer's organs, it may be perfectly poised to detect seismic wave vibrations.[4]

The nose is about 1 cm in diameter with its Eimer's organs distributed on 22 appendages.[5] Eimer's organs were first described in the European mole in 1871 by German zoologist Theodor Eimer. Other mole species also possess Eimer's organs, though they are not as specialized or numerous as in the star-nosed mole. Because the star-nosed mole is functionally blind, the snout was long suspected to be used to detect electrical activity in prey animals,[6] though little, if any, empirical support has been found for this hypothesis. The nasal star and dentition of this species appear to be primarily adapted to exploit extremely small prey. A report in the journal Nature gives this animal the title of fastest-eating mammal, taking as little as 120 milliseconds (average: 227 ms) to identify and consume individual food items.[7] Its brain decides in approximately 8 ms if prey is edible or not. This speed is at the limit of the speed of neurons.

These moles are also able to smell underwater, accomplished by exhaling air bubbles onto objects or scent trails and then inhaling the bubbles to carry scents back through the nose.[8]

We're going to be talking about a pink monkey today! Kidding! April Fools!

The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) is a small tenrec found in Madagascar. It belongs to the family Tenrecidae in the order Afrosoricida, and more specifically to the subfamily of the spiny tenrecs Tenrecinae.[3] Its natural habitats are in tropical lowland rain forests in northern and eastern parts of Madagascar.

The water deer (Hydropotes inermis) is a small deer species native to China and Korea. Its prominent tusks, similar to those of musk deer, have led to both subspecies being colloquially named vampire deer in English-speaking areas to which they have been imported. It was first described to the Western world by Robert Swinhoe in 1870.[2]

We are feeling magical today, Herders! Why? Cause we're going to be talking about a Pink Fairy Armadillo and how cute they are.

The pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) is the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the families Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae, recognized by a bony armor shell), first described by Richard Harlan in 1825.[3] This solitary, desert-adapted animal is endemic to central Argentina and can be found inhabiting sandy plains, dunes, and scrubby grasslands.

Pink fairy armadillos have small eyes, silky yellowish white fur, and a flexible dorsal shell that is attached to its body solely by a thin dorsal membrane. In addition, its spatula-shaped tail protrudes from a vertical plate at the blunt rear of its shell. This creature exhibits nocturnal and solitary habits and has a diet that is mainly composed of insects, worms, snails, and various plant parts.

The conservation status for pink fairy armadillo is still uncertain, and it is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The decline in population for this species has generally been attributed to farming activities and predators including domestic dogs and cats.[4] Pink fairy armadillos are found less commonly than they were a few decades ago, and the field sightings have been rare and incidental.[5]

Individuals caught in the wild had a tendency to die during or a couple days after transport from their natural habitat to captive facilities. There is a sole record for the longevity of a pink fairy armadillo that was held in captivity more than four years; however, that particular case lacks scientific description.[5] Armadillos' evolutionary distinctiveness, combined with their restricted geographic range, ongoing threats, and rarity, make conservation extremely urgent for these species.[3]

Herders, Season 7 is all about animals you have probably never heard of and we are going to keep it going. 

Macrotis is a genus of desert-dwelling marsupial omnivores known as bilbies or rabbit-bandicoots;[3] they are members of the order Peramelemorphia. At the time of European colonisation of Australia, there were two species. The lesser bilby became extinct in the 1950s; the greater bilby survives but remains endangered. It is currently listed as a vulnerable species. The greater bilby is on average 55 cm (22 in) long, excluding the tail, which is usually around 29 cm (11 in) long. Its fur is usually grey or white; it has a long, pointy nose and very long ears, hence the reference of its nickname to rabbits.