Hammerhead sharks

Hammerhead sharks are recognisable for their bizarre head shape which is thought to make the shark more sensitive to electrical signals used to detect hidden prey. There are ten species of hammerhead. The family also includes the bonnethead sharks and the winghead shark.

Tiger sharks

Tiger sharks have been nicknamed the dustbins of the sea, due to their voracious appetite and reputation for eating anything in their path. They are second to great whites as the record holders of attacks on humans. This is partly due to their occurrence in shallow waters and their indiscriminate feeding habits.

Fish

Fish dominate the planet's waters through their astonishing variety of shape and behaviour.




The beautiful weedy sea dragon looks like a creature from a fairytale, and the male protects their eggs by carrying them on his tail for months. The sarcastic fringehead, meanwhile, appears to turn its head inside out when it fights.



Slow-motion cameras show the flying fish gliding through the air like a flock of birds and capture the world's fastest swimmer, the sailfish, plucking sardines from a shoal at 70 mph. And the tiny Hawaiian goby undertakes one of nature's most daunting journeys, climbing a massive waterfall to find safe pools for breeding

Ground Sharks

The ground sharks (Carcharhiniformes) are an order of cartilaginous fish which includes the hammerhead sharks, cat sharks and requiem sharks. This is the biggest order of sharks, and they are found in marine, brackish and freshwater.

Extinct tiger

As you may have already know tigers in are one of the most endangered species of our time. To raise your awareness about the seriousness of this situation, and help spread the word about how real this statement is to becoming a reality, we’re going to list some of the already extinct tigers to give everyone a reason to care. This is no joke people, if things continue as they do its possible that our kids and their kids will not have the joy and privelege of seeing a real life tiger.

The Javan Tiger
To start things off lets talk about the Javan tiger which has been completely eradicated since the 1980’s. Originating from the Indonesian island of Java, these tigers were relatively small in size with the average male weighing just 130 kilograms (Female was around 90 Kilograms). These tigers were destroyed due to heavy hunting and a shrinking jungle habitat (again thanks to ever expanding business and human needs).

The Javan tiger population was down to around 24 tigers by the 1950’s and only 12-13 by the mid 1970’s. Despite some reports suggesting the sighting of one or more of these tigers in the Javan jungle there is no official confirmation or proof of these reports. As far as research goes, it’s thought that the last three Javan tigers alive died in 1979.

The Bali Tiger
The Bali tigers which are also extinct were residents of the Bali island in Indonesia. No official reports of their existence have popped up after the year 1937. In fact, the last time one of these tigers was seen was when it was hunted down and killed in 1925. Researchers waited anxiously for over a decade after that before losing hope of finding any Bali tigers and declaring them officially extinct in 1937.

In terms of size Bali tigers were the smallest of them all, with a total body weight of around 90 kilograms for males and 70 kilograms for females these tigers were amply suited to their jungle environment. In terms of looks they had a short fur which was dark and a smaller number of sparsely distributed stripes.

The Caspian Tiger
Caspian tigers (sometimes known as Persian tigers) once existed in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and other neighboring countries. It is believed that Caspian tigers were last seen alive in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Again despite several reports having been made about spotting them nothing has been officially confirmed leaving us with yet another extinct species.

Caspian tigers in terms of looks had a thick fur, and were once again small in size with relatively small ears. They used to breed mainly in spring time and were not very fond of contact with humans (who once again contributed to their extinction). It’s believed that the last Caspian tiger was either shot dead in Iran or in Northern Iraq in the early 1960’s.

Final Words
We hope that after reading the above you are fully aware of the scale of the situation. Tigers are becoming extinct, one by one each subspecies is dissappearing never to be seen on this earth again. This is not only disturbing but extremely astonishing that in this day and age with all the technology and means to keep a species alive this continues to happen.

Blame it on God, blame it on humans, blame it on aliens the bottom line is that the extinction of tigers is on the horizon. The exact extinction date of this species cannot be predicted but what’s already quite clear is that it’s approaching very soon.

Despite such negative sentiments and the real loss of many of the tiger species there are still a few that can be saved and this is where our efforts should be foccussed. To keep any species alive its more than just keeping them in zoos but actively protecting their environments and breaking down the red tape that prevents the implementation of laws and policies outlawing the poaching of these helpless cats.

Bengal Tigers

Bengal Tigers form the largest subspecies of tigers in the world. Most commonly found in India and Bangladesh, they are the ‘national animal’ of both these countries. Living in grasslands and in rainforests, they can weight up to 220kg. The Bengal Tiger population is very fragile today: they have nearly been driven to extinction and numerous projects are now in place to preserve the population.

The diet of Bengal Tigers consists mainly of medium to large-sized animals. Able to consume around 30kg in one sitting, their favorite preys include wild boars, buffalos, deer and wild pigs. They usually hunt at night, where a tiger can blend in effectively with the surroundings before surprising their victims. They can also hunt during the day if necessary, and the striped pattern on the tiger’s fur helps it to camouflage. Although they do not typically hunt humans, they may do so in cases of extreme hunger.

Today, the populations of Bengal Tigers stand at around 4,500. In the 1970s, the numbers were much smaller, but projects have helped the population to re-grow. Today, deforestation and urbanization have a major impact on the Bengal Tiger population. Tigers are forced to move out from their natural habitats and as a result can no longer easily find their daily food.
Bengal Tigers are sometimes hunted for their fur or their body parts, which can be used in traditional Chinese medicine. Although there are strict rules against hunting tigers, many animal preservation agencies say that tigers are still being hunted throughout India and Bangladesh, even inside national parks themselves.

Several projects have been set-up by government agencies to help conserve the Bengal Tiger population, the largest one being ‘Project Tiger’. While they no doubt have played a major part in the fairly successful conservation project, they are also subject to criticism by several activists, who claim that the projects have not been efficiently organized and that tiger numbers may have been inflated by the agencies in order to protect jobs. One particularly controversial incident was the complete loss of the Bengal Tiger population in the ‘Sariska Tiger Reserve’ as a result of hunting.

The Bengal Tigers play a major role in the heritage of India and Bangladesh. Sadly, these beautiful animals have been driven to near extinction as a consequence of urbanization and hunting. It is important that the public is made aware of the efforts that are taking place in order to save these amazing and important animals. It is only then that they have a chance to survive.

South China tiger

South China tigers are a subspecies of tigers that can be found mainly in a very narrow area of south / south east China, mainly in forests.

South China tigers are not only one of the very endangered tiger species, but it is also considered to be THE one that is most likely to be extinct within a very short period if no real breeding and preservation efforts take place.

Experts estimate that the south China tiger population does not exceed two to three dozens only! This has earned it a ranking between the world’s top 10 animals that are on the verge of extinction � pretty sad.

What has mainly contributed to the reduction of the South Chinese tiger population is the amount of illegal hunting that was taking place in these southern forests, in addition to the reduction in the number of preys it can hunt (again, mostly due to humans).

These very tigers are now taking refuge in mountains within the area rather than open forests.
We have to also keep in mind that starting the 1960s, tigers were proclaimed a danger to humans in China, and as such hunting them down was taking place. This decision was reversed too late, almost two decades later. The South China tiger population had by then been reduced by more than 95%.

South China tigers (sometimes referred to as south Chinese tigers) are small in size, with the male ranging between 220 to 260 cm in length and around 140-170 kilograms in weight. Females are smaller in size (this is normal when it comes to tigers and similar mammals) with a length varying usually between 200 to 250 cm and a weight of around 120 kilograms. Their fur differs a bit from that of other subspecies, given that the stripes are somewhat thinner and more spaced along the body.

South China tigers are known for their patience and love for hunting. They would not get tired of spending several hours a day looking after preys. They also don’t mind attacking animals that are of equivalent weight if not more. But when it comes to hunger, they would settle down for anything, even small animals and insects.

If their prey is big, they try to suffocate it once they catch it, else they would simply attack lethally with their long teeth. They have no problem in attacking humans, and they have done many times in the past. So caution is required if one got to (ever) meet one in the wild.