Tembikai, meaning watermelon, was born on January 29th of this year.  He weighed 13 lbs at birth and is now up to 30 lbs. He is a Malaya tapir which is an endangered species.

Read about the Malaya tapir’s relative the Brazilian tapir at Animal Fact Guide.

Ratu, a Sumatran  rhinoceros, is pregnant. This is newsworthy because Sumatran rhinos are endangered and births in captivity are incredibly rare. Ratu’s mate, Andalas, was the third Sumatran rhino born in captivity in 112 years. If all goes well, Ratu’s baby will be the fourth.

Sumatran rhinos are the most endangered of all rhinoceros species. Their numbers have decreased due to habitat loss and human poaching.

To read more about Ratu, visit CNN.com.

To read about the Indian rhinoceros, a relative of the Sumatran rhino, visit Animal Fact Guide.

Three year old panda Mei Lan and her 4 year old cousin, Tai Shan, were flown this morning from the United States to China aboard a plane dubbed “The Panda Express.” The two pandas were living at Zoo Atlanta and the National Zoo in Washington, respectively. They were on loan from China and are being sent back to help repopulate the endangered species.

One of the interesting transitions for the pandas to make will be to learn to understand commands in Chinese. Being raised in the United States, the pandas have been trained in English. Therefore, a Chinese language teacher is being hired.

For more, visit CNN.

The Minnesota Zoo has welcomed a female gibbon to their zoo. Born about three weeks ago, the gibbon was not being cared for by her mother. She is a white-cheeked gibbon, a critically endangered species.

Our favorite part of this video is the sounds that the baby makes. She sounds like R2D2.

Photo: World Wildlife Fund

Just as polar bears are in critical danger as global warming melts the ice caps, limiting their habitat, Bengal tigers are also threatened by this phenomenon.  Making their homes among the Sundarbans, a mangroves ecosystem in Bangladesh, Bengal tigers number around 4000 in the wild.  As polar caps melt, sea levels will rise.  According to a Climactic Change journal report by the World Wildlife Fund, by 2070, the sea levels near Bangladesh will rise 11 inches, submerging 96% of the Bengal tiger habitat. This provides space for only 20 breeding pairs, which is not enough to sustain the population.

For more info, see: USAToday Science Fair.

In our last poll, we asked Animal Fact Guide visitors, “What do you think is the best way to help endangered animals?”

These were the results:

Educating the public: 36%
Volunteering with wildlife charities: 32%
Boycotting endangered animal products: 15%
Reducing carbon emissions: 9%
Writing to legislators & signing petitions: 8%

You can get involved in our current poll, “Where is the best place to see animals?” by scrolling down to our Poll widget in the sidebar to the right.

The current cold weather in Florida has been forcing manatees to seek warmth any way possible. As a result, over 100 manatees have found their way into Satellite Beach Canal in Brevard County.

The problem posed by this is that the manatees have eaten all of the grass that lined canal. Now the manatees must either risk heading back into the frigid ocean waters to search for food or face starvation in the canal.

The chilly water puts the manatees at risk for cold stress, which can be deadly. The state has worked out a an emergency triage system if the manatees begin to get sick.

The manatees have also drawn large crowds of onlookers eager to get a glimpse at the endangered creatures.

For more, visit wftv.com.

There are roughly 2000 Grevy’s zebras left in the wild, earning them a spot on the endangered species list. Add to that number one more as the Denver Zoo welcomes a baby male zebra.

The baby, named Lakota, was born on November 27th. He is the third Grevy’s zebra to ever be born at the zoo.

Grevy’s zebras differ from other zebras in their appearance. Gervy’s zebras have thinner stripes and white stomachs. They also have longer legs and larger, rounder ears.

In the wild they are found in Kenya and Ethiopia.

For more, visit The Denver Channel.

SeaWorld aquarist Jenny Albert covers up a “cold stunned” endangered green turtle to keep the animal warm at SeaWorld’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.

Many green sea turtles have been adversely affected by the Arctic blast that has swept over most of the U.S.  recently. Two dozen “cold-stunned” green sea turtles have been taken in by SeaWorld’s Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Orlando, Florida, where they are treating the endangered turtles with heat lamps, blankets, and warm fluids.

To learn more about green sea turtles, read Animal Fact Guide’s article: Green Turtle.

Tasmanian devils have been threatened with extinction because of devil facial tumor disease, a fast spreading cancer. In the past 10 years the population of devils has declined by 60% as a result of the fast spreading disease.

Researchers have found that the tumors are spread through physical contact between devils, most likely biting to the face.

Researchers have also found that cells that are meant to protect nerves are likely the origin of the disease. The implications of this discovery have not been fully realized yet but may include new ways to test for the disease and a potential for an eventual vaccine.

Read more about the discovery at the BBC.

Read more about the Tasmanian devil at Animal Fact Guide.