At Luv2wild we aim to be your HUB for all things nature. We post weekly articles covering all things regarding our natural world with a large focus on covering Wildlife, travel destinations for nature lovers and any animal or environment related news.
The Iberian Lynx is a species of Lynx endemic to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). In 1960 its numbers started to plummet due to poaching, habitat loss, reduced prey availability and road collisions. By 2001, only 65 individuals were left in the wild. Thankfully, incredible conservation work has focused on increasing prey availability and captive release programs. This conservation work led to a significant increase in the Iberian lynx’s wild population. As of 2024, their population has skyrocketed to over 2,000 individuals. The population has recovered so well that the ICUN has recategorised it from endangered to vulnerable. It’s no wonder that some experts believe this to have been the greatest feline conservation project this century.
Admittedly this is a slightly depressing post but one that I feel is necessary to raise awareness for the animals on this list and also to show that extinction is a very real threat unless more is done to protect them. With that said let’s get into the list.
The Vaquita
The vaquita is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. First discovered in 1958 the Vaquita reaches a maximum height of around 5 ft and is the rarest marine mammal in the world with experts estimating there are only 10 individuals remaining in the wild. Its wild population has been utterly decimated by illegal fishing, often getting caught up in gill nets which cause the animal to drown. Without a ban on the use of gill nets soon the Vaquita will without doubt be lost forever.
Amur Leopard
The Amur Leopard is a subspecies of Leopard native to the primorye region of southeastern Russia and northeast China. Like all leopard species the Amur Leopard hunts its prey by stalking it and getting as close as possible before making an explosive sprint and pounce onto its prey, the prey of Amur Leopards includes anything from badgers and hares to wild boar, roe deer and sika deer. Sadly due to a combination of habitat loss and relentless poaching this incredible big cat is critically endangered and in 2015 its wild population dwindled to as low as 60 individuals. Thankfully in response intense conservation efforts were made to protect the animal and as of 2024 their population has risen to around 130 individuals however they are still very much at risk and as one of the last remaining extant leopard subspecies it’s vital that they are protected.
Javan Rhino
The Javan Rhino once lived throughout northeast India and Southeast Asia however its remaining wild population is now found exclusively in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia. The Javan rhino has seen its numbers plummet largely down to human related issues such as poaching, habitat loss and the illegal trade of their parts specifically the demand for their horns in traditional Chinese medicine. Their is now only 76 Javan Rhinos left in the wild which leaves them dangerously close to extinction which is why it is so important that we protect these precious animals.
It’s a topic that is once again in newspapers all over the UK after a group of researchers from the Florida based non profit research organisation Ocearch carried out a search at the Great Blasket Island in county Kerry Ireland for what would be if successful the first official confirmed Great White Shark in UK or Irish waters. Unfortunately for us shark lovers as i’m writing this the search has concluded without success after just 5 days. The Ocearch team released a statement saying that they were “limited” to how long they could search for due to the weather conditions preventing them from “expanding the search area” and making carrying out an accurate thorough search impossible.
Despite an unsuccessful search the research team believe this only the beginning regarding the search for great whites in our seas. Great white sharks usually inhabit waters with temperatures of between 12 and 25 degrees Celsius and our sea temperature regularly reaches an average of around 16 degrees Celsius during summer and autumn making it ideal for Great Whites, factor in the large seal populations and increasing number of alleged Great White sightings and you can see why researchers believe that a few individual great whites could be migrating from the Mediterranean to our waters in search of prey.
I personally believe it’s only a matter of time before we get the first confirmed great white in our waters but let me know what you think below ⬇️
California is a State with many National Parks but theirs arguably none more infamous than Yosemite, From dramatic waterfalls and mountains to vast wilderness and meadows This National Park has it all. With such a wide range of habitats Yosemite is home to a variety of iconic species including Black Bears, Mountain Lions, mule Deer, the diamond back Rattlesnake and mountain Coyotes. Yosemite national park is also very visitor friendly with easily accessible trails making sure visitors are as safe as possible whilst enjoying the views the park has to offer. Overall Yosemite National Park is a must see for all nature lovers.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone national park is without doubt one of America’s most famous national parks holding the title as America’s and indeed the worlds first ever national park, Spread across 3 states 96% of the Yellowstone is located within Wyoming, another 3% within Montana and the remaining 1% being in Idaho. Part of what makes Yellowstone so unique is the hydrothermal areas of the park which contain about half the worlds active geysers, In addition to this Yellowstone is host to a range of different habitats from heathlands, grasslands and meadows to mountains, swamps and forests leading to an extremely diverse ecosystem. The wildlife that inhabits Yellowstone is like no other with around seven Large predators (Grizzly Bears, Grey Wolves, Mountain Lions, Wolverines, Black Bears, Coyotes and Canada Lynx) and around eight ungulate species (Bighorn Sheep, Bison, Elk, Moose, Mountain Goats, Mule Deer, Pronghorn and White Tailed Deer).
Everglades National Park
Everglades National park is a 1.5million acre wetlands preserve on the southern tip of Florida and is truly one of a kind. It’s comprised of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and pine woods which are home to an abundance of different animal species including the extremely rare Florida Panther, American Alligator, Leatherback turtle, manatee, River Otter, Black Bear, Bottle nosed Dolphins and bull sharks to name just a few. The Everglades has a very tropical climate with it typically being hot and humid from May until November with temperatures reaching 32 dC accompanied by occasional rain and storms. With hiking trails running through many parts of the park you are free to explore the park on your own accord however if you want to the everglades visitor centres offer a variety of activities from guided nature tours to catch and cook fishing trips, Overall the Everglades is like no other national park in the US and is a must visit for wildlife lovers.
The UK isn’t exactly known for its snake species however today I’m going to tell you all about them…
The Grass Snake – The Grass snake is the UK’s largest native Snake with males reaching lengths of up to 90cm and females reaching up to 130cm. They are found throughout the UK often in wetlands although they can also be found in dry grassland and even in peoples gardens. Grass snakes hibernate from October to April with females laying anywhere from 10 to 40 eggs, They lay their eggs in rotting vegetation such as compost heaps and incubate them until early autumn when they hatch. Grass Snakes have a varied diet ranging from small mammals and birds to amphibians and fish.
The European Adder – The European adder is famously the UK’s only venomous snake, It can be found all across the UK only absent from the Isles of Scilly, the Channel Islands, northern island and the Isle of Man. Its favoured habitats are heathland, moorland and woodland where it preys on lizards, small mammals and ground nesting birds such as skylark. They are short but stocky snakes reaching lengths of 60-80cm on average and weighing around 50-100g. They are easily distinguished from other snakes in the UK due to the typical viper head and zigzag pattern that goes down its back, The hibernate from October to March and are most commonly seen in the summer months from April to October. During spring male adders do a kind of dance where they duel to fend off competition to mate.
The Smooth Snake – The Smooth Snake is probably the UK’s least known about snake species, reaching a modest length of around 50-70cm and weighing around 100g it’s also the smallest snake found here. Smooth snakes are quite rare and are confined to the sandy heaths of Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey although there is a small reintroduced population in Devon. The Smooth snake is a constrictor and preys on sand lizards, slow worms, insects and nestlings and is completely harmless to humans.
Welcome to the First of many species spotlight posts where we tell you all you need to know about some truly remarkable animals.
The African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is a large member of the Canidae family and is the largest canine in Africa, Its native to sub-Saharan Africa and is a highly social animal. African Wild Dogs live and hunt in packs with as many as 30 members, The packs are dominated by monogamous breeding pair and whenever the female has a litter of pups they are cared for by the entire pack and unlike many other social animals whenever the pack makes a kill they ensure that every pack member is fed including the old, injured and young which is a testament to their incredible and complex social structure.
Thanks to them being pack hunters African Wild Dogs are able to take down prey as large as Wildebeest and cape buffalo however their favourite prey is Impala. When hunting African Wild Dogs use there incredible stamina to run their prey to exhaustion over long distances and can reach top speeds of 45mph, Once their prey is caught African Wild Dogs will often eat their prey alive in an bid to reduce the likelihood of other predators like lions stealing their kill.
They often live in abandoned dens where the young pups of the pack will often be hidden whilst the rest of the pack are hunting, Members of African Wild Dog packs will also take turns staying behind on hunts to stand guard and watch over the pups.
The topic of Big Cats roaming the UK countryside is the subject of much conspiracy and debate. Every year multiple stories and reports of Big Cat sightings send a portion of the UK public into a frenzy, In this short article we will be looking into the history of big cats in the UK, reported sightings and more to come to our own conclusion on the matter.
How did they get here
Most experts believe that any big cats in the UK would be either escaped zoo animals or exotic pets released into the wild by their owners upon the introduction of stricter animal welfare legislations and the requirement of a license to own dangerous wild animals.
Evidence
For every credible sighting or report about Big Cats in the uk there is a fake and this is just one of many challenges that wildlife experts, scientists and rangers face when trying to prove or disprove the presence of Big Cats in our countryside. Despite this we recently got some of the most compelling evidence yet when a woman found a dead sheep carcass and saw “a black Cat the size of a German Shepherd” run off behind the rocks, Scientists were informed and a swab was taken and the DNA was confirmed to belong to a Big Cat and most likely a leopard. This is a huge breakthrough as despite hundreds of reported sightings of big cats in our countryside every year this is the first time we have had a DNA match.
Conclusion
As i’m sure you can tell I would personally love to have big cats in our countryside, wether its a black leopard, a cougar or even the once native lynx i believe that they would have a positive effect on their surrounding ecosystem by controlling the deer and rabbit numbers which at the moment a causing huge problems. Hopefully this recent DNA match will lead to further research and more confirmed sightings.
It may come as news to some that the seas of the uk are home to a number of different shark species some of which are huge, In todays article we will be giving you a list of 3 sharks that can be found in our waters.
The Basking shark
The Basking shark is normally the first shark that people think of when you talk about sharks the inhabit our waters, this beasts is the second largest shark in the world with only the Whale Shark reaching bigger sizes. Basking Sharks can regularly reach lengths of up to 12 metres long and can weigh as much as 6 tonnes. Despite their colossal size Basking Sharks feed exclusively on plankton, they do this by swimming near the surface of the water with their mouth open with gill rakers catching the plankton as the water filters through their gills.
The Blue Shark
The blue shark is a migratory shark and visits our seas during the summer months, During these summer months the coasts of Cornwall seem to be something of a hotspot for them however before anyone begins to worry deadly interactions between Blue Sharks and humans are incredibly rare. Their diet consists mainly of fish and cephalopods and they can reach lengths of up to 12.5 ft long, Its slender body and elongated dorsal fins help make it one of the fastest sharks alive.
The Greenland Shark
The Greenland Shark is the second largest species of carnivorous shark alive today preying on fish, cephalopods, carrion and seals. It mainly inhabits the deepest and most northern parts of our ocean and it’s because of this that sightings of the Greenland shark are rare although they do happen, Back in 2022 a juvenile Greenland Shark was found washed up on a beach in Cornwall which was the first time one of these Sharks had been in our waters for 9 years. Greenland Sharks are thought to have the longest lifespan of any known vertebrate with an average known lifespan of between 250-500 years old.
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