Meerkats are active carnivores that live in burrows in Africa. These social animals live in groups, called mobs, with as many as 30 individuals that keep watch and scare off predators or other meerkats.
support, or perch in a bush or tree, scanning for danger
Pale-headed saki monkeys, also called white-faced sakis, live almost completely in trees, seldom if ever coming down to the ground. These small primates are native to northern South America.
(10 meters) in a single bound when escaping from danger
Kori bustards are the world’s heaviest flying birds. They live in grasslands and savannas in eastern and southern Africa.
ground and is reluctant to fly unless in serious danger
Local songbirds will take advantage of the abundance of cicadas, something Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center scientists are eager to study.
Birds use calls to signal danger; they’ll chirp to
Frogs, toads, salamanders and newts are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. Smithsonian scientists are working to save amphibians through projects focused in Panama and Appalachia.
caecilian species are declining rapidly and are in danger
There’s a new species at the Bird House! Animal keeper Stacy Hill gives us the rundown on the clapper rail.
habituated to humans and could become a nuisance or a danger
Emus are large, flightless birds resembling and related to ostriches. They are native to Australia.
enable them to walk considerable distances or outrun danger
Striped hermit crabs are small, greenish-blue crustaceans that are quite common among the warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean, where they scavenge for food both on land and in the water. Like many species of hermit crabs, they protect themselves from predators and harsh natural elements by spending nearly their entire lives inside the discarded shells of gastropods, like whelk or conch.
When they sense danger, they fit their entire bodies
Lemur leaf frogs, also called lemur tree frogs, are small, critically endangered frogs native to Central America. Their bright, yellow-green skin helps them camouflage among leaves during the day. At night, when these nocturnal frogs are most active, their skin turns brown.
hand over hand, and rarely jump unless escaping from danger
Scientists have established assurance colonies of amphibians at risk of extinction across Panama, and are working to reduce the impact of amphibian chytrid fungus so they may one day be reintroduced to the wild.
colonies of amphibian species that are in extreme danger
