picture of the day news from mongabay.com

For Easter: a baby horned screamer chick (photo)

2013-03-31T16:22:00Z

A chick — typically a baby chicken — is a common symbol for Easter. Since we're Mongabay, today we're highlighting another type of chick: a young horned screamer from Eastern Colombia.

Animal picture of the day: the world's biggest cat

2013-02-07T17:51:00Z

The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Siberian tiger, is the world's biggest cat. An adult male weighs on average about 390 pounds (176 kilograms). The largest yet recorded weighed 460 pounds (207 kilograms), although there are reports of considerably larger animals in the past.

Cute animal picture of the day: white-cheeked gibbon baby

2013-01-16T17:58:00Z

A northern white-cheeked gibbon pair (Nomascus leucogenys) at the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Bronx Zoo have given birth to a brand new infant. This is the mother gibbon's 11th infant.

Picture gallery of the day: Day geckos

2013-01-07T02:38:00Z

Day geckos are the jewels of the gecko family.

Pictures: Christmas-colored animals

2012-12-25T20:02:00Z

There are a surprising number of Christmas-colored animals. Below is a small set of red-and-green creatures photographed by Rhett A. Butler during his reporting travels.

Cute animal picture of the day: cheetahs in the snow

2012-12-05T15:48:00Z

Cheetah cubs at the Zoological Society of London's Whipsnade Zoo attempt to make sense of snow. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), currently found in many African countries as well as Iran, are generally warm weather animals.

Cute animal picture of the day: baby giraffe

2012-11-12T21:51:00Z

Reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata), one of nine subspecies, are found in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. The world's tallest land animal, giraffes can stand as high as 5–6 meters (16–20 feet).

Picture of the day: cheetah cubs wrestle Halloween pumpkins

2012-10-31T15:30:00Z

The fastest land animal in the world, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) can exceed 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour) in short bursts. This speed allows them to take down prey using rapid-fire ambush hunting.

Picture of the day: a bizarre baby bird with oral 'fingerprints'

2012-10-25T15:08:00Z

The crested coua (Coua cristata) is native to island of Madagascar. Unlike much of Madagascar's wildlife, the crested coua is not considered threatened with extinction, but is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. There are around nine species of coua in the world, all found in Madagascar; the unique birds belong to the cuckoo family.

Cute animal picture of the day: baby pygmy hippo

2012-10-22T15:32:00Z

A new pygmy hippo calf has been born at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo. Named Georgina, the calf is the second for parents Flora and Tapon.

Picture of the day: the maned lioness

2012-10-15T19:57:00Z

The title is not a typo. Sometimes lioness grow manes as rich and large as males, and there appears to be larger proportion of such 'maned lionesses' in Botswana's Okavango Delta.

Cute animal picture of the day: baby walruses on the mend

2012-10-11T16:33:00Z

Two walrus male calves were discovered over the summer near Barrow, Alaska, dehydrated and ill, after their separate mothers perished. The calves have been receiving care at the Alaska SeaLife Center, but one will soon be moved to the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) New York Aquarium and the other to the Indianapolis Zoo.

Cute animal picture of the day: red panda kits

2012-10-04T16:56:00Z

Although called red pandas, these Asian animals are neither pandas nor bears, and despite a resemblance to raccoons they are not closely related to them either. Red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) are actually now thought to be the sole living representative of the taxonomic family, Ailuridae. The rest of their near-relatives are extinct, making red pandas a very important species.

Cute animal picture of the day: new gorilla baby and mom

2012-10-02T14:36:00Z

A baby western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) was born recently at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust's (DWCT) to mother, Hlala Kahilli and first-time father, Badongo.

Cute animal picture of the day: caracal kitten in Yemen

2012-10-01T10:55:00Z

The first ever research project on the caracal (Caracal caracal) in Yemen has taken an astounding photo of a mother caracal and her kitten in the Hawf Protected Area. Conducted by largely local researchers, the study is aiming to estimate Yemen's caracal population and better understand the threats to the species.

Cute animal picture of the day: tiger triplets

2012-09-25T19:06:00Z

Last month, the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Bronx Zoo saw the arrival of three Siberian tiger cubs (Panthera tigris altaica). Also known as Amur tigers, they are the world's largest cats with adult males weighing up to 318 kilograms (700 pounds). Most of the population is found in far eastern Russia, however a few animals also survive across the border in China.

Cute picture of the day: armadillo carrying baby

2012-09-19T15:05:00Z

A rare image of a female six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) moving her image was captured by the Embiara Lodge in Brazil's Pantanal.

Picture of the day: baby Grevy's zebra

2012-09-10T13:57:00Z

Not only is the Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) the biggest of the three zebra species, it is also the world's largest wild horse species. Once roaming throughout the horn of Africa, today the species is confined to a few populations in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Picture of the day: Yao Ming with baby elephant orphaned by ivory trade

2012-08-27T12:52:00Z

Former NBA Basketball player and Olympian, Yao Ming is taking his first trip through Africa in order to see the on-the-ground impacts of the black-market ivory and rhino trades in East Asia. Ming, who stands 7-and-a-half feet (2.3 meters), has become not only well-known for his athletic prowess, but also his devotion to endangered wildlife.

Animal picture of the day: Critically Endangered macaws

2012-08-23T13:47:00Z

Found in only one location in northern Bolivia, the blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis) is thought to number little more than 100 individuals in the wild. However the species is protected from utter extinction by a much larger captive population.

Pictures of the day: NASA captures stunning images of U.S. wildfires at night

2012-08-21T16:21:00Z

NASA is now able to capture satellite images of wildfires—at night. Using the The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite (S-NPP), which has instruments that are particularly sensitive to light, NASA was able to take images of fires burning nocturnally across the American West in what has been a record year, to date, for fires in the country.

Cute animal pictures of the day: gorilla toddler saved from illegal pet trade

2012-08-20T14:43:00Z

A two-year-old western lowland gorilla female was recently confiscated from a beach restaurant, popular with expats, in Equatorial Guinea.

Animal pictures of the day: booming captive breeding for Mauritius skinks

2012-08-14T16:44:00Z

Three female orange-tailed skinks skinks have produced 16 skink babies in just four months, according to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT), which is captive breeding the Critically Endangered species. The breeding efforts are all the more remarkable since the females only produce two eggs at a time.

Cute animal pictures of the day: Humboldt penguin chick meets water

2012-08-13T13:47:00Z

Humboldt penguins was found along the western edge of South America in Chile and Argentina. They face a barrage of threats including overfishing, drowning as bycatch, El Nino conditions that affect food availability, and climate change. Significant population declines have led to the species being listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Cute animal pictures of the day: smooth-coated otter cubs

2012-08-07T22:44:00Z

Smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) are found from India to Sumatra. They are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List due to destruction of wetlands for hydropower, agriculture, and other development.

Pictures of the day: pangolins saved in Thailand from poachers

2012-08-06T11:47:00Z

Earlier this summer, 110 Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) were rescued by Thai customs officials from poachers in a pickup truck. While the driver of the vehicle escaped, a passenger was arrested, but released after paying a fine of $75,000, reports the NGO FREELAND Foundation.

Cute animal pictures of the day: lynx triplets

2012-07-31T14:22:00Z

With a massive range, spanning from scattered populations in Western Europe to Eastern Siberia, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a highly successful mid-sized predator. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, the wild cat is now being reintroduced into parts of Western Europe where it was hunted to local extinction.

Cute animal picture of the day: spur-winged lapwing chick

2012-07-30T13:34:00Z

A baby spur-winged lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) hatched recently at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. Spur-winged lapwings are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, but some populations breed in the Mediterranean. It is named 'spur-winged' for a spur hidden in its wing, which is uses to fight off predators and defend its chicks.

Cute animal picture of the day: African penguin chick

2012-07-26T19:24:00Z

Found along the coast of southern Africa, the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List largely due to overfishing, which is decreasing the penguins' prey species, and oil pollution. Two oil spills in the last ten years have oiled over 30,000 African penguins.

Cute animal picture of the day: sitatunga calf

2012-07-24T16:40:00Z

The sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii) is a swamp-dwelling antelope that makes its home in Central and Southern Africa, including the Congo Rainforest. They have waterproof coats and often take to the water to help avoid predators. The sitatunga is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.

Cute animal picture of the day: baby Yemen chameleons

2012-07-23T15:21:00Z

Ten Yemen chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) were recently born at the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo. A popular pet species, the chameleons, also known as veiled chameleons, still thrive in the mountainous wilds of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.

Animal picture of the day: leopard with giant prey

2012-07-19T17:37:00Z

It's true: a leopard cannot change its spots—even after eight years! Using a computer program that looks at leopard spot patterns, researchers were able to identify the above leopard, which was snapped by an Indian photographer, with a leopard individual photographed eight years before by camera trap. This Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is known as BPL-123, and has made its home in India Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Pictures of the day: sea turtle and whale shark release in China

2012-07-18T20:31:00Z

Earlier this month, Sea Turtles 911, a conservation organization in China, released two green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and a juvenile whale shark (Rhincodon typus) back into the wild.

Animal picture of the day: flamingos take flight in the Bahamas

2012-07-17T15:25:00Z

Scientists have banded nearly 200 American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) in the Inagua National Park in the Bahamas in order to monitor the long-term population.

Cute animal picture of the day: baby bamboo lemur

2012-07-16T15:36:00Z

Greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) are one of over a hundred lemur species found only on the island of Madagascar. Listed as Critically Endangered, there are only around 500 individuals known in the wild, making them one of the world's most imperiled primate species. A new baby was recently born in captivity in the UK's Port Lympne Wild Animal Park.

Cute animal picture of the day: spotted hyena cub

2012-07-15T20:26:00Z

Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are found across sub-Saharan Africa. Adept hunters, hyenas can also survive by scavenging and opportunism. They form the largest packs of any carnivore, which are run by matriarchs. Although, they resemble dogs, the hyena is actually more closely related to cats and weasels.

Animal picture of the day: the greater roadrunner

2012-07-12T13:26:00Z

Charging at speeds up to 26 miles an hour (42 kilometers), the greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) chases down prey like lizards and snakes. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, and is found across the Southwestern U.S. Although the greater roadrunner is capable of flight, it prefers racing along the ground.

Cute animal picture of the day: stranded sea lion finds new home

2012-07-11T16:16:00Z

A young female California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) , who had stranded herself three times, has found a new home at the Bronx Zoo. After her most recent escapade of showing up at a beachside bar in California, experts decided she was too habituated to humans to re-release back into the ocean for a third time. She was transferred to the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo.

Pictures of the day: LEGO animals storm Bronx Zoo

2012-07-10T15:07:00Z

LEGO animals are debuting next to the real things at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo this summer. LEGO artists have created a menagerie of animals including lemurs, a tiger, hornbills, rhinos, gorillas, flamingoes, a giraffe, and a zebra. The exhibition runs until September 3rd. "The safari brings to life the challenges faced by wildlife due to habitat loss and real threats to their survival. The goal of the program is to connect young minds to nature and inspire visitors to help build a future for wildlife," the Bronx Zoo says in a press release.

Animal picture of the day: Sunda clouded leopard in Borneo

2012-07-09T12:57:00Z

The Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) is the largest wild cat in Borneo and is classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red list of threatened species. Due to their nocturnal and cryptic habits they are seldom observed and very little is known of their basic ecology and distribution. This large Clouded leopard was photographed by remote camera trap in Malua BioBank as part of the Bornean Banteng Program which studies the rare banteng (Bos javanicus lowi).

Animal picture of the day: rare image of Asiatic cheetah and cubs

2012-07-03T16:07:00Z

The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), also known as the Iranian cheetah, is one the world's rarest cat subspecies with somewhere between 70-110 individuals left. No surprisingly it is considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List.

Picture: baby black lemur born at Howletts Wild Animal Park

2012-07-02T17:59:00Z

Howletts Wild Animal Park in near Canterbury in Britain released photos of an infant black lemur born recently.

Cute animal picture of the day: dromedary camel baby

2012-07-02T17:39:00Z

The dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is the world's largest camel. It's easily recognizable by its single hump.

Picture: Blue-tongued monitor lizard

2012-07-01T17:20:00Z

Water monitor photographed in Sabah, on the island of Borneo.

Cute animal picture of the day: moose twins

2012-06-25T16:27:00Z

On May 21st, two Eurasian moose twins (Alces alces) were born at the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo. The twins were named Toffee and Caramel.

Animal picture of the day: the beautiful black-necked swan (and babies)

2012-06-12T20:54:00Z

The black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus) is South America's largest waterfowl, but the smallest of the world's swans. When newborn, babies, who are called cygnets, often ride on their parents back for safety.

Animal picture of the day: tracking cheetahs in Namibia

2012-06-04T18:14:00Z

The N/a’an ku se Carnivore Conservation Research Project in Namibia has recently been tracking a male cheetah named Boris. After caught hunting in a game farm, Boris was captured, tagged with a radio collar for GPS tracking, and released back into the wild.

Photos: Mama lemurs with babies

2012-06-01T17:24:00Z

Two baby lemurs were put on display this week in the Madagascar! exhibit at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo.

Cute animal pictures of the day: silvery marmosets run free in zoo

2012-05-24T19:02:00Z

The Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo is allowing its seven silvery marmosets (Mico argentatus) to roam the 600 acre facility freely.

Cute animal picture (and video) of the day: baby otters

2012-05-21T14:12:00Z

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo in New York City has recently seen the arrival of three baby North American river otters (Lontra canadensis), the first born in the city at a zoo or aquarium in over 50 years.