Rare Animals Fighting to Stay Alive

[Music] this is an okapi they may look like zebras but they are actually the only living relative of giraffes endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo the okapi is a solitary animal that lives only in dense forests their coloring is distinctive their deep red coat contrasts with black and white markings across their hind side and legs these specific markings act as camouflage among the trees similar to giraffes okapis have long tongues that they use to pull leaves from branches their tongues are between 14 and 18 inches in length so long that they can clean their ears and eyes with it the okapi are known for having incredible hearing their large ears can detect the slightest disturbance around them which helps protect them from predators it is believed that in the last decade okapi populations have been halved due to deforestation and hunting the presence of armed groups in their native habitat makes conservation efforts nearly impossible but local governments are stepping up the okapi is a fully protected species under Congolese law and is a national symbol for the country this is an okapi [Music] [Music] this is Aspen a two toed sloth slots spend almost their entire lives hanging in trees and do nearly everything upside down eating sleeping mating even giving birth since it spend so much time upside down a sloths fur grows in the opposite direction of all other mammals this allows water to run off the sloth when it rains its fur also has minut grooves their collecting grow algae giving wild sloths a greenish tint and providing excellent camouflage a sloths powerful claws are perfectly adapted for gripping and climbing trees but become a nuisance when on the ground surprisingly though they are excellent swimmers and have been known to drop into the water and swim to a new tree despite these adaptations sloths face many traps their forest homes are increasingly becoming fragmented making breeding difficult and they are a popular target for traffickers in the illegal pet trade this is the two toed sloth [Music] this is Howard he's four months old he lives in California with his family to kiss his mom Domino is his dad and Boo is his sister they are pileated Gibbons this species is found in Thailand Cambodia and Laos in the wild they are threatened by habitat destruction and the wild animal trade they live mostly in trees and all Gibbons have strong arms and legs the long muscular arms help them move through the branches with impressive speed romantics by nature pileated Gibbon couples are usually monogamous often staying with their partners for life given couples form strong bonds grooming each other and hanging out in trees both males and females are similar in size and have a cooperative family dynamic families do everything together and when the children are grown they leave to create their own families baby Gibbons learn how to grasp their mother's hair from early on and will nurse for the first two years of their life Howard hasn't started swinging on his own yet but he'll be ready to start learning soon this is the pileated Gibbon meet Morrison and tingoora two adorable dingers no these aren't pet dogs they're actually wild animals dingers are australia's wild dog considered a cultural icon but due to interbreeding pure dingers have become harder to spot hence both Morrison and tangora's similar appearance to domestic dogs dingers are thought to have been introduced to Australia three to four thousand years ago they are Australia's largest terrestrial predator jinger's hunt everything from rodents and birds to larger prey like kangaroos they are a big part of Aboriginal Australian culture yet a seen as pests by livestock farmers due to perceived attacks on animals hunting for their skin and interbreeding has left their population vulnerable this is the dingo this is Cruz he's a Malayan tapir and he is hungry Malayan tapirs are the largest of the four species of tapir and are the only one native to asia a close relative of the horse and rhinoceros tapirs have poor eyesight but their sense of hearing and smell are finely tuned if threatened or frightened they've been known to demonstrate pretty quick bursts of speed they are also excellent swimmers and will seek refuge from predators in deep water while using their flexible nose as a snorkel although they are vegetarians they can also defend themselves with a bite from their razor-sharp teeth their distinctive black and white coat looks very smart and also serves as an excellent camouflage predators will often mistake at a par for large rock when they lie down to sleep despite these adaptations tape paws are extremely threatened deforestation and encroaching human development like flooding from hydroelectric projects are all threats to their shrinking habitats this is the Malayan tapir this is Bertha she's a Lima more specifically a cockerel Shafak while all of Madagascar lemurs are rare she's unique even for her kind there are over 100 different types of lemurs in Madagascar but none quite like the cockerel she FARC found only in the northwestern forests of Madagascar chief Fox moved differently than most lemurs they stand on two feet and use their powerful hind legs to leap up to 30 feet in a single jump their beautiful fur also distinguishes them they're cream-colored bodies feature maroon patches Bertha loves her peanuts but Shafak son picky eaters they consume everything from leaves and flowers to bark and dead wood biologists estimate that less than 10,000 remain in the wild as major habitat loss and hunting continues to increase this is the cockerels Shafak [Music] this is Bandhan he's a Babb reversal yes that is a real animal a member of the pig family this prehistoric looking creature is native to the small Indonesian island of Sulawesi in males the upper canine teeth were straight up through the flesh of its own snout and curved back towards their eyes as they get older the tusks can get spectacularly large and on rare occasions have grown so big as to pierce their own skulls Favreau says spend much of their time foraging for food eating everything from roots leaves and fruits to meat and grubs his strong jaws are easily capable of cracking the hardest of nuts in its native island home the Barbarossa has no natural predators but irva hunting and conversion of their rainforest habitat to farmland has reduced their wild population to less than a few thousand this is the Barbarossa this is Tammy and Lucho they're two mandalas and this is their first date [Music] when at Amanda feels threatened it will rear up on its hind legs and use its sharp powerful claws to slash out sometimes it can be hard to break the ice commando is our the smaller cousin of the giant anteater and while both species enjoy snacking on ants - Manju is our excellent tree climbers while they're larger relatives prefer to stay firmly on the ground commanders have excellent defense mechanisms for enemies both large and small if a predator gets too close the demanda will release a powerful stinky spray four times as strong as a skunk and it's thick coarse fur keeps angry ants from reaching its skin when dining in an anthill despite these protective adaptations the tomando remains its threatened species in the native Central and South America habitat loss and hunting are both looming threats this is the Tamandua [Music] this is Xena am a cheese tree kangaroo she's adorable isn't she but don't let her adorableness deceive you this rare kangaroo is extremely threatened with curved claws and stocky muscular limbs she's at home in the trees however her padded paws allow her to fall from up to 60 feet without injury this marsupial is so rare it can only be found in the mountainous rainforests of northeastern Papua New Guinea it's a solitary creature that spends most of its time alone except for when there's a baby to care for tree kangaroo Joey's spend 18 months with their mothers before setting out on their own oil drilling and logging are destroying the match his habitat and its thick beautiful fur has made it an attractive target for native hunters captive breeding and local education efforts are making headway but its future is uncertain this is the match's tree kangaroo [Music]

Channel: Great Big Story

Views: 338,036

Rating: 4.9519329 out of 5

Keywords: great big story, gbs, lag, documentary, docs, nature & animals, on the brink, great big reels, extinction, tapir, lemur, rhino, zoo, endangered species, threatened species

Id: 32-5zf0bAlI

Length: 11min 46sec (706 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 28 2018