Animals 26-30 in our '50 incredible animals' series

Hello,

Welcome back. We're very sorry for missing last week's animals. We've all had a busy time with school work!

26. Blue glaucus

Also known as the blue dragon, the blue glaucus is a type of sea slug. They are small, rarely growing longer than 3cm long. Their favourite food is probably the most bizarre thing about them, Portuguese man o' war. Now, for those of you who don't already know, the Portuguese man o' war is one of the most dangerous jellyfish in the world! Different sites have different opinions, but almost all agree that blue glaucus do not hunt the Portuguese man o' war, instead they feed on dead ones or nibble away at living one! But that's still rather impressive.

27. Shoebill

Shoebills are very patient and able to stay still for hours. That's how they hunt. When a lungfish comes up for air, they often don't notice the shoebill standing there until it's too late.

Shoebills are solitary. Even mating pairs feed at opposite sides of their territory. Breeding pairs make nests on the water. These nests can be up to eight feet wide! The female lays two eggs at a time. Both parents care for the young. They are classified as Vulnerable and their population is decreasing.

28. Lyrebird

Lyrebirds are native to Australia. Best known for their ability to mimic sounds from their surroundings, these ground-dwelling birds are ancient, with fossils dating back 15 million years! They feed on a whole variety of small animals.

Lyrebirds are important in Australian symbolism. They are featured in logos, postage stamps and even on coins and notes! There are two different types of lyrebird: the superb lyrebird is listed as Least Concern and the alberts lyrebird is listed as Vulnerable.

29. Aye-aye

The Aye-aye is a somewhat creepy primate that lives in the tropical rainforests of Madagascar. They are omnivorous and eat nuts, insects, nectar and has evolved to feed almost like a woodpecker, tapping bark with it's long middle finger at night. The latin name is 'Daubentonia madagascariensis' and they are about 40cm long. They are listed as Endangered because of habitat loss and hunting because some natives kill them as they are believed to be bad luck.

30. Saiga antelope

The saiga antelope is a Critically Endangered antelope species, which once inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian plains and foothills. Now, their habitat is only parts of Central Asia. Due to their role in traditional Asian medicine, males are poached and hunted for their horns.

They are ancient creatures, once living alongside woolly mammoths and sober-toothed tigers! This incredible species has survived for millennia and we all hope they will continue to do so for many years to come.

We hope you enjoyed these animals. We'll be back soon!

See you then

Sources:
https://www.americanoceans.org/species/blue-glaucus/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/shoebill
https://www.britannica.com/animal/Menura
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/aye-aye
https://www.britannica.com/animal/saiga

Images:
Blue Glaucus: This image, owned by Pierre Pouliquin (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Shoebill: This image, owned by Maciej (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Lyrebird: This image, owned by Brian Ralphs (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Aye-aye: This image, owned by Matt Francey (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Saiga antelope: This image, owned by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquaters (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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