TOI article - Weirdest Creatures

World’s weirdest creatures are headed for extinction

85 Of The World’s Top 100 Strangest Species Will Disappear Soon: Experts

London: What do the pygmy hippopotamus, the bumblebee bat and the rare slender loris have in common? Well, these weirdest creatures are facing extinction.
According to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), 85 of the top 100 of the world’s weirdest and most endangered creatures are receiving very little conservation attention and will disappear if no action is taken.
The society, which has drawn up a list of some of the creatures threatened with extinction, has recently launched an amphibians conservation and fund-raising initiative called EDGE that aims to save the animals.
“Tragically, amphibians tend to be the overlooked members of the animal kingdom, even though one in every three amphibian species is currently threatened with extinction, a far higher proportion than that of bird or mammal species.
“These species are the ‘canaries in the coal mine’ — they are highly sensitive to factors such as climate change and pollution, which lead to extinction, and are a stark warning of things to come.
“If we lose them, other species will inevitably follow. The EDGE programme strives to protect the world’s forgotten species and ensure that the weirdest species survive the current extinction crisis and astound future generations with their extraordinary uniqueness,” Dr Jonathan Baillie, the Head of the EDGE programme, told The Daily Telegraph.
The ZSL has identified and is starting work to protect 10 of the most unusual and threatened EDGE amphibian species this year. They include: Chinese giant salamander, Sagalla caecilian, Purple frog, Ghost frogs of South Africa, Lungless salamanders of Mexico, Olm etc.
By mathematically combining a measure of each species’ unique evolutionary history with its threat of extinction, the scientists were able to give species an EDGE value and rank them accordingly.
“These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation,” Helen Meredith, the EDGE Amphibians coordinator, was quoted as saying. PTI

EXOTIC & ENDANGERED: (Clockwise from top) A Malagasy rainbow frog; a Gardiner’s Seychelles frog resting on a thumb; an Olm swimming underwater; a giant Chinese salamander that predates T rex