The Pinocchio Lizard

      The Pinocchio lizard, or Anolis proboscis, is a species of anole native to Ecuador, known for it's distinct nose. Declared extinct in the 1960's, one of these lizards was spotted in 2005 walking across a road in Ecuador. They have been spotted only a hand-full of times since then. They are named after the fictional character, Pinocchio. Discovered in 1953, Pinocchio lizards were only known for a few years before they supposedly went extinct. These endangered lizards are so rare that most sightings are along a single stretch of road. We can only hope that the Pinocchio lizard will survive and that human encroachment will not make them truly go extinct.

The Harris hawk

    Although this hawk doesn't look like anything special, it may very well be one of the most unique birds in the animal kingdom. The Harris Hawk, or Parabuteo unicinctus, is a bird of prey native to the Southwestern United States. What makes this bird so peculiar is it's interesting behavior. They are the only birds to hunt in packs, similarly to wolves. They commonly hunt in groups of up to eight birds. They can attain a wingspan of up to four feet. Another unique tactic that they use is known as "stacking". When "stacking", multiple Harris Hawks will stand on top of each other to survey their surroundings. Their pack-hunting comes in handy when hunting their favorite prey, the jackrabbit. They take turns chasing the rabbit, and when it tires, they go in for the kill. Because they are easily trainable, they are commonly utilized in the art of falconry. These hawks show that the world's raptors should be respected and cared for.