Go Higher and Farther with These Incredible Species |
NOTES FROM THE FIELD | 2024 | No. 3
Leap days only happen once every four years—and 2024 is one of those! This year, we’re hoppy to celebrate this extra day of conservation with wildlife that leap, spring, bound, and everything in between. Whether they’re trying to reach the safety of a ledge, ambush prey, or escape a predator, adaptions that enable impressive jumps are a plus for many species.
Your support springs conservation into action across our eight Conservation Hubs. Together we’re saving, protecting, and caring for unbe‐leap‐able wildlife. From mountain peaks and arid deserts to vast oceans, species with extraordinary jumping abilities come in all shapes and sizes. Even plants join the fun, like the jumping cholla—a cactus with spikes that detach easily onto unsuspecting desert dwellers. See which species surprise you!
Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, kangaroo rats can leap a foot or two straight up into the air. Built for the desert, they use their unusually large hind feet to hop or jump, unlike other rodents. LIFTOFF >
Most big cats can jump and pounce on something around 10 feet away. And caracals, the fastest and largest of the small cats, can leap up to 10 feet high in the air—more than double the length of their body. POUNCE ON IT >
Lemurs are small, dynamic primates that leap from tree to tree. Unfortunately, they’re also critically endangered. Last year, cells from a blue-eyed black lemur were the 11,000th sample cryopreserved in our Wildlife Biodiversity Bank’s Frozen Zoo®, offering hope for the future of the species. HOP FOR HOPE >
Despite their small size, mountain yellow-legged frogs can use their powerful hind legs to leap across babbling streams high up in Southern California’s mountains. Over the last 17 years, we’ve been collaborating with partners to protect and reintroduce populations of this endangered species. JUMP INTO ACTION >
Killer whales can reach up to 15 feet above the water in a move called breaching. These magnificent mammals display this surface behavior to play and socialize, and even breathe while doing it. Our conservation teams are using innovative technology to gain insights into endangered killer whale health from a simple natural behavior: exhaling. DRONE ZONE >
John, our ongoing monthly support will make a difference by leaps and bounds for extraordinary and endangered wildlife, including mountain yellow-legged frogs and blue-eyed black lemurs. As a Wildlife Hero, you’ll protect biodiversity and safeguard the future for wildlife, people, and the ecosystems we all share in San Diego and across the globe. Every day you bring us closer to a world where all life thrives.
Your monthly gift will secure the future for wildlife around the globe.
