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Each year German conservation organization NABU
honors the animals that it thinks need most protection in the coming
year. They may not always be cute or cuddly, but they're important.
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Wild animal of the year...
... is the wisent, also known as the European bison. The last wild
specimen was shot dead in the Caucasus in 1927. But the animal has since
been bred successfully in countries such as Slovakia and Romania, and in
2013 a herd of eight wisent was set free in Germany. The long-term
success of the project remains to be seen. |
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Honoring the endangered
Each year German conservation organization NABU honors the animals that
it thinks need most protection in the coming year. NABU's bird of the
year 2014 is the European green woodpecker. It lives in old, dead trees,
where it carves out nests for itself. The bird is not endangered yet,
but is considered at risk due to shrinking habitats. |
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Amphibian of the year ...
... is the yellow-bellied toad. From above the animal looks pretty
boring, but when the toad wants to surprise its enemies, it shows its
yellow stomach. The amphibian has poisonous secretions that are
dangerous to humans. The animal is highly-endangered in Germany, because
the small ponds where it likes to live are becoming rarer. |
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Fish of the year ...
... is the sturgeon. Although it can still be found across the northern
hemisphere, the sturgeon is endangered everywhere due to overfishing and
water pollution. The eggs of the sturgeon are eaten as caviar. The Huso,
a special type of sturgeon, can grow over five meters long and 100 years
old. |
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Insect of the year ...
... is the Phasia aurigera. Why? Because it is such a dazzling and rare
insect, say the scientists who selected this fly. Large red eyes, a body
that is one centimeter long and a wingspan of up to two centimeters.
This is one unique bug!
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Butterfly of the year ...
... is the spurge hawk-moth. The animal's glowing red-black coloring
warns the moth's natural predators of its venom. The animal is
classified as highly-endangered in Germany.
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Spider of the year ...
... is the sheet-web spider. This arachnid uses wind to distribute its
feather-light web, thereby aiding its own proliferation. Although the
animal is not endangered, experts gave it the 2014 Spider of the Year
prize to boost its popularity.
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