Giant Isopod

Giant Isopods are just like some kind of little insects (see picture below), but only in a bigger format. These creatures are crustaceans (a mix between a crab and a shrimp). The Giant Isopod also called Bathynomus giganteus is one of the nine species of the genus Bathynomus. That live in the deep and cold waters of the Atlantic ocean. The Giant Isopod isn't a very lucrative business for fishing industries, because they are hard to catch and when they're brought to the surface they have already been scavenged by other fishes. However in Taiwan where they live much closer in shallow waters they're served in restaurants.

The Giant Isopod can reach a length between 19 cm and 37 cm with a maximum weight of 1.7 kg which isn't so great to be called gigantic, but if we compare these with other normal Isopods, then they are just enormous. The Giant Ispod has a kind of shield on his back with two antennas close to its head. It has 7 pair of legs also called (pereiopods) and one pair of these legs has as function to bring food to its jaws.

Giant Isopods are deep sea creatures that scavenge at depths of 170m to depths or even 2200 meters. However they prefer to stay at middle depths of 300m to 700m. They love to scavenge dead whales, fish and even squids. It isn't only a scavenger, if its spots a sea cucumber, spunge or another little creature, then he won't hesitate and eat this creature. Living on these depths isn't a paradise. Therefore they could stay for more then eight weeks without any food. The deeper we go the bigger that these Giant Isopods are. Giant Isopods are living fossils, they haven't evolved for over 130 million years.

Giant Isopods lay eggs, the mature female develops a marsupium (brood punch) when she becomes sexually active. The eggs that have been fertilized by the male Isopod will be stored in the marsupium for an unknown time and when the eggs hatch, then the miniature Isopods emerge from the marsupium as little clones.

Did you know that the eggs of the giant Isopod are the biggest ones of all the invertebrates?

Leaf-Tailed Gecko

The leaf-tailed gecko (also known as the flat-tailed gecko) is a group of geckos that are found only on the African island of Madagascar and on a number of the little islands that surround it. There are eight different species of leaf-tailed gecko all of which are endemic to the island.

Leaf-tailed geckos are found in both the primary and secondary tropical forests of Madagascar where they are either found stuck vertically to the tree trunks or resting amongst the twigs, depending on the species. All species of leaf-tailed gecko are being threatened by habitat loss caused by drastic deforestation across the island.

As their name suggests, leaf-tailed geckos are named after their broad, flat leaf-like tail which extends out between this lizard's hind legs. Leaf-tailed geckos are also brown or green in colour and their skin is usually marked in such a way that it resembles tree bark. This gives the leaf-tailed gecko excellent camouflage when it is basking in the sun amongst the branches during the day.

Leaf-tailed geckos can range in size from just 10cm to more than 30cm in length depending on the species. Some of the different species of the leaf-tailed gecko include the Spearpoint leaf-tailed gecko, the Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko, the Satanic leaf-tailed gecko and the Mossy leaf-tailed gecko, all of which vary slightly in their appearance as well as the areas which they inhabit.

The leaf-tailed gecko is a carnivorous animal and the bulk of this lizard's diet is primarily comprised of insects. Leaf-tailed geckos also hunt a number of other invertebrates along with the odd small rodents or reptile should it get the chance. Leaf-tailed geckos are nocturnal hunters, most actively searching the forest for food under the cover of night.

The excellent camouflage of the leaf-tailed gecko can make this animal pretty tricky for predators to spot. Birds of prey such as owls and eagles, along with rats and snakes are the most common predators of the leaf-tailed gecko in it's native environment.

Due to the secretive nature of the leaf-tailed gecko, little is really known about the reproductive behaviours of this reptile. It is thought that the female lays 2 to 4 eggs and probably has little to do with her offspring once having laid to her eggs where they can hatch in a safe place.

Today, leaf-tailed geckos are animals that are thought to be under threat in the wild something which has been primarily caused by deforestation across their native island of Madagascar.

Frilly Lizard

The frill-necked lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii), also known as the frilled lizard or frilled dragon, is found mainly in northern Australia and southern New Guinea. Its name comes from the large frill around its neck, which usually stays folded against the lizard's body. It is largely arboreal, spending the majority of the time in the trees. The lizard's diet consists mainly of insects and small vertebrates. The frill-necked lizard is a relatively large lizard, reaching up to 91.4 cm in length.

Kerivoula Kachinensis

A new species of Kerivoula is described from Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area, Cambodia. It is widely

distributed in mainland Southeast Asia, with referred material from 12 additional localities in Myanmar,

Thailand, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Superficially similar to Kerivoula flora, it is distinguished by its flattened

skull, a character shared with the larger, recently described, Kerivoula kachinensis. It is known from a variety

of habitat types, both pristine and disturbed, including deciduous dipterocarp forest, moist evergreen and semievergreen forest, forest on limestone karst and upper montane forest.

Kerivoula kachinensis is reported for the first time from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand. In April, 2005 and

January, 2006, three individuals were collected in deciduous dipterocarp forest, near bamboo, in the Seima

Biodiversity Conservation Area, Mondul Kiri Province, Cambodia. In September, 2007, two individuals were

collected in lower montane forest, which included some mixed deciduous forest, bamboo groves and banana

trees, in the hills of Phu Suan Sai National Park, Loei Province, and a single individual was collected in mixed

deciduous forest, near bamboo, in the Nam Nao National Park, Petchabun Province, Thailand. In 1996–1998,

seven specimens were collected from five localities in north, central and southern Lao PDR; most were

associated with evergreen forest at altitudes between 150–800 m a.s.l. The species appears to be relatively

widespread in continental Southeast Asia. Locally common, it is probably not currently at risk