Scientific Name: Amazilia luciae
Status: 10% (34) of the Hummingbird species are currently endangered.
Mayan legend:
The first hummingbird, Tzunuum, was created by the Great Spirit. She was very plain, but she was tiny, delicate, and flew with great skill. She took pride in her flying ability and did not mind her plainness. When it came time for her wedding, the other birds (who all loved the humble and sweet Tzunuum) surprised her with a wedding dress and adornments donated from their own bright plumage. The Honeybees brought honey and nectar for the feast. They brought flowers as well for their festive color and silken petals to line the paths. Butterflies danced in the air, and the trees bowed down to let the creatures celebrate among sweetly scented orange and plumeria blossoms.
References:
"Gift to the Hummingbird", First People https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/Gift_To_The_Hummingbird-Mayan.html
Birds of the Mayas: Maya Folk Tales : Field Guide to Birds of the Maya World : Complete Check List of Birds. (1993). United States: West of the Wind Publications.
LaBastille, A., Bowes, A. L. (1967). Bird Kingdom of the Mayas. United States: Van Nostrand. 73-77.
Scientific Name: Photinus pyralis
Status: Fireflies are becoming more scarce because of human encroachment into their environments and light pollution have made it difficult for them to signal and communicate, as well as interfering with breeding. Turning off lights at night is a simple measure that can help. Fireflies are not the only insect that has experienced a declining population, as Biological Conservation reported that 40% of all insect species are declining globally, and a third are endangered.
Flickering pinpoints of light in the woods, fireflies have always been a source of fascination for humans since antiquity. Creating light without heat, scientists call it a "cold light". The luminescence is a result of a chemical reaction in an extremely energy-efficient manner, as 100% of the energy in the reaction is emitted as light.
The Apache have a legend about the origin of fire. Fireflies had their camp in an inaccessibly high place, but Coyote was very clever. He snuck into the village by asking a cedar tree to bend down and he climbed up and went over into the Firefly village. That night when the Fireflies built a fire, he tied a bundle of cedar to the tip of his tail, and he danced with them, letting his tail come closer and closer to the fire until the cedar burst aflame, after which he leapt away, back via the cedar tree, and across the world with the fireflies in pursuit, waving his tail and setting sparks and embers flying everywhere. To this day the trees remember that fire, and it is why fire can be made from a bow drill.
References:
Goddard, Earle Pliny. "Jicarilla Apache Texts", American Museum of Natural History, Vol VIII, New York, 1911. 208-209.
Opler, M. (1940). Myths and Legends of the Lipan Apache Indians. United States: American folk-lore society, J.J. Augustin. 109-120.
Opler, M. E. (2018). Myths and Legends of the Lipan Apache Indians. United States: Borodino Books. 92-116.
Scientific Name: Sequoiadendron giganteum
Status: The forests where these ancient giants grow are crowded by development and agriculture, and so the land they are on needs protecting.
California Sierra Nevada range
Tule River Tribe in CA, Floyd J Franco Jr.:"In creation stories bald eagle represents the creator of all living things who lives in a tree growing in the sky. After the eagle creates other animals, people, water and land, the tree comes down to the land to become the first tree in the world. And although in our creation story the tree is not a giant sequoia, it is through these stories that Tribal members are taught to respect trees at an early age."" - in a paper presented at the Symposium on Giant Sequoias
Scientific Name: Glyptemys muhlenbergii
Status: Threatened. Development of the land has resulted in degradation and fragmentation of their wetland habitat.
Many of the indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands share a tale of how the world began, and of a turtle who carries the world upon his back.
In ancient times, there was a world above the dome of the sky. In this upper world the Great Chief, and other beings, knew nothing of what lay below their domed crust. In the center of their world grew an enormous tree laden with sweet flowers and fruit.
The great chief found cause to have the tree uprooted, and in so doing revealed a yawning pit. Sky Woman was drawn to it by her curiosity, and the Great Chief pushed her through. As she tumbled through the vast space between, she was aided by waterfowl who softened her fall, and at last she landed upon the back of a turtle of the underworld. All about was watery darkness and no land.
Many creatures attempted to swim down under the waves. All the best divers made an attempt, otter, muskrat, beaver, toad. In the different variations it is sometimes one or another of these creatures that at last succeeded. Bringing up a bit of mud, it was heaped upon the turtle's back. From this earthly mud, and from the handfuls of sky dirt and seeds from the celestial tree Sky Woman had in her hands during her fall, the world below began to spring to life.
References:
Barbeau, C. M. (1914). Supernatural Beings of the Huron and Wyandot. American Anthropologist, 16(2), 288-313. http://www.jstor.org/stable/659612
Parker, A. C. (1912). Certain Iroquois Tree Myths and Symbols. American Anthropologist, 14(4), 608-620. http://www.jstor.org/stable/659833
Fenton, W. N. (1962). "This Island, the World on the Turtle's Back." The Journal of American Folklore, 75(298), 283-300. https://doi.org/10.2307/538365
Scientific Name: Rhinoceros unicornis
Status: Vulnerable. Poaching and illegal trade of rhino horns for traditional medicine has put them at risk
Unicorns have had a place in mythology around the world since ancient times. They appeared in Mesopotamian artworks, and there are also references to single-horned creatures in ancient myths from India and China. Sometimes these images were of a bull; but depicted in profile, it had but a single horn. Gazelles were also depicted in such a fashion, and it is thought that such imagery was an early source for the rise of the unicorn myth.
It was said that those who drank from its horn would be protected from stomach trouble, epilepsy, and poison, but the creature was elusive. It was very fleet of foot and difficult to capture. Early descriptions in Greek literature were made by the historian Ctesias who wrote of an animal that resembled a horse with a horn on its forehead. Ctesias most likely was describing an Indian Rhinoceros.
References:
Briggs, G. W. (1931). The Indian Rhinoceros as a Sacred Animal. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 51(3), 276-282. https://doi.org/10.2307/593451
Thomas Bulfinch (1918). Age of Fable. "The U-ni-corn", The Saalfield Publishing Company, Chicago, Akron OH, NY, pg96. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Age_of_Fable/KiPEPTk3m6sC
Scientific Name: Lycalopex fulvipes
Status: Endangered. Population is very low, and the main threat is fragmentation of habitat, but also injury and disease spread from feral dogs.
Legends of the Guruvilu "fox snake" can be found among the Mapuche people of Chile. The first published record of this mythical creature was in the observations of a Jesuit priest by the name of Felipe Gomez de Vidaurre, in the late 18th century. His sources told him that this beast had the head of vixen, and the serpentine body of a snake. Several other accounts in the decades that followed, from successive missionaries, exploration expeditions, and military campaigns in the region, mentioned a fox-snake-dragon-catlike creature that lived in the ponds, rivers, and lakes, enticing passersby to the death in deceptively calm waterways. It moved with surprising speed and strength, and was agile in the water.
References:
Whittall, Austin. "Monsters of Patagonia", Zagier & Urruty Pubns, 2013.
Vicuna Cifuentes, J., (1910). Mitos y Supersticiones Recogidos de la Tradicion oral Impr. Universitaria. pp. 23-24.
Scientific Name: Cirroctopus hochbergi
Status: Endangered. A long lifespan and slow growth makes it hard for some cirrates to adapt and recover from hardships.
In an account told by a chief of the Ngati-Kahu-nguna tribe told to New Zealand historian and ethnologist T.W. Downes and recorded in 1914. In this account, the chief spoke of the history of the white dolphin (Grampus griseus) known to the Maori as Tuhi-rangi, or as the white New Zealanders named him, Pelorus Jack. Tuhi-rangi would swim alongside ships, escorting them through a dangerous channel in Cook Straight.
The chief tells the story of Kupe, who found some new islands "at the far end of the sea". This discovery came about because Te wheke-a-Muratangi ("wheke" in Maori means "octopus") kept stealing all the bait from Kupe's fishing lines. Despite the advice of priests to tie his lures tighter, the clever and troublesome Te wheke-a-Muratangi still managed to steal his bait, afterwards fleeing a safe distance.
Kupe again sought advice of priests, who told him that he was to follow Te wheke-a-Muratangi. Tuhu-rangi/Pelorous Jack would be his guide to keep him safe from danger. He was only to hunt the wheke through waters where his dolphin guide indicated.
Following these instructions and carefully trailing Tuhu-rangi, Kupe took his wife and family on his canoe. At last he was able to track down Te wheke-a-Muratangi in a cave in New Zealand, whereupon a battle ensued, and Kupe emerged victorious. Afterwards, Kupe continued along the island and through the harbors, naming them as he went.
Tuhu-rangi took up his post near French Pass, where he has guided and protected ships from dangerous rocks, eddies, and whirlpools ever since.
References:
Downes, T. W. (1914). PELORUS JACK. TUHI-RANGI. The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 23(3(91)), 176-180. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20701079
Lawson, Will (September 1924). "Pelorus Jack: A Complete History of the Wonderful Pilot Fish of New Zealand". Pacific Marine Review: The National Magazine of Shipping. San Francisco: J. S. Hines: 459, 466. https://books.google.com/books?id=RT8fAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Pelorus+Jack%22&pg=PA459#v=onepage&q=%22Pelorus%20Jack%22&f=false
Scientific Name: Rhincodon typus
Status: While the global population is hard to determine, the IUCN considers them to be endangered by to impacts of fisheries and vessel strikes.
As the world's largest living fish, whale sharks have inspired awe from mariners over the millenia. Their long migratory path takes them through many island chains and coastal areas.
In West Papua whales sharks are called gurano bintang, "gurano" meaning something that comes from the east and "bintang" meaning stars. As the open ocean is to the east of the nearby continents and landmasses, and the white markings on the creatureshift and wink like stars seen through the water's rippling surface.
The Bajo people are migratory fishermen who live upon their boats and move through the waters and along the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines. It is said by their elders that whale sharks are forbidden for hunting, for they are guarded by a spirit. Other large marine species are also said to be guarded by spirits, and will help a fisherman in need, guiding them, or saving them from drowning.
The Swahili name for whale sharks is papa shilingi, which means "shark covered in coins". Kenyans tell of how the Creator looked upon the shifting surface of the seas, and sprinkled silver coins from the heavens into the water. The coins fell upon the whale shark, and thus the great creatures came to bear their striking coin-like markings across their backs and fins.
References:
Stacey, N. E., Karam, J., Meekan, M. G., Pickering, S., & Ninef, J. (2012). Prospects for Whale Shark Conservation in Eastern Indonesia Through Bajo Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Community-based Monitoring. Conservation and Society, 10(1), 63-75. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26393064
Hanifa Miranda, Shark Program Support, WWF-Indonesia & Ranny Yuneni, Shark and Ray Conservation Specialist, WWF-Indonesia, "Whale Shark Tales from Indonesia's Islands". WWF, August 2021. https://sharks.panda.org/news-blogs-updates/latest-news/whale-shark-tales-from-indonesia-s-islands
Hianusa, Kelvin & Costa, Fabio Maria Lopes. "Rewards from Gurano Bintang Shark Conservation". Feb 2022. https://www.kompas.id/baca/english/2022/02/05/rewards-from-gurano-bintang-shark-conservation
Bassin, olker & Ender, Katrin. "PAPA SHILLINGI Short whale shark documentary". Indie Crush, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSwSIlMYQSY
Scientific Name: Grus japonensis
Status: Endangered. The wetlands that this species rely upon for breeding grounds have rapidly been shrinking. Conservation efforts in Japan have yielded results in repopulation, however the natural population in China is still imperiled.
The red-crowned cranes' courtship dance of bowing and unfurling of the wings, is an iconic vision of snow-blanketed wilds of China and Japan. They dip and weave, leaping into the air and gracefully landing and an impromptu passionate choreography, white, black and just a touch of red, so stark and elegant against the winter backdrop in February and March. The birds are monogamous and mate for life with one partner. Because of this behavior, they are also seen as symbols of loyalty and devotion. When a crane is with their partner, they dance in a joyous display of aerial leaps and duet vocalizations.
Across Asia, the red-crowned crane is a symbol of luck, longevity, and peace. There are Taoist stories of mortals who attain immortality and are transformed into cranes, or carried off by cranes, and so in Chinese they are known as "fairy-crane" or "crane of the immortals".
References:
Rich, Motoko & Hida, Hikari. "These Revered Cranes Escaped Extinction. Can They Survive Without Humans?", New York Times, 2022.
Zhuo, Xinping (2018). Religious faith of the Chinese. Singapore.
Zhang, Lu. Painting: "The Daoist immortal He Xiangu on a celestial crane." Album of 18 Daoist Paintings (1464-1538), Shanghai Museum, Shanghai. https://www.granger.com/results.asp?image=0634442
Scientific Name: Dracaena marginata
Status: Vulnerable. This tree grows in Madagascar and Mauritius, and changing weather patterns have altered rainfall in the region. Decrease in precipitation, combined with dangerous flash floods result in loss of topsoil but little absorption of moisture into the soil.
Ancient Greek mythology:
As the eleventh of his twelve labors, the great hero Heracles was sent by King Eurystheus to bring him the golden apples of the hesperides. These apples were found in the Garden of the Hesperides, and were given to Hera by Zeus as a wedding present. The Hesperides were nymph daughters of the titan Atlas, and they tended the garden. After finding out from Atlas the location of the garden, Heracles killed the dragon with a bow and arrows tipped with the poisonous blood of the Hydra (which Heracles had earlier killed in his second labor).
As the hero left with his golden prize, the blood flowed from the monster and seeped into the ground. Green tendrils began to spring from the earth, growing into dragon trees. As Ladon's blood spread and sank into the earth, the trees grew and stretched their tangled canopies to the sky.
When a dragon tree is cut, the sap weeps a sanguine red, and the resin was prized in the ancient world, for use as varnish, and for various traditional cures and medicines.
References:
Crane, Gregory R., "The Apples of the Hesperides". Perseus Digital Library, Classics Department, Tufts University. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/apples.html#:~:text=These%20apples%20were%20kept%20in,the%20earth%20upon%20his%20shoulders.
Anderson, T., Kalinoski, C., & Mertehikian, L. (2022). Dracaena draco: The Mystery of Dragon's Blood. Dumbarton Oaks.
Walker, C. (1999). A tale of dragons — the pachycaul species of Dracaena. British Cactus & Succulent Journal, 17(4), 171-177. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42793606
Scientific Name: Perognathus longimembris pacificus
Status:
The Miwok have a tale of the Stealing of Fire.
Lizard was the first to catch sight of fire, in the valley below, and he took the news to the others and to Coyote. Finally it was decided that Flute-player, Mouse, would be sent to take some from that distant assembly house. Mouse set out, taking 4 flutes with him.
As he descended into the valley and into the valley assembly house, he played sweet music with his flute. The sound drifted through the air and lulled the people to sleep. When all was still, he crept into their village and to the fire, placing the stolen bit into his flutes. The ember burned steadily in that safe cache, bright in the darkness of night. He swiftly made his escape, back towards his own people.
As he left, the people woke and gave chase. Eagle, Bear, Rattlesnake, and Mountain Lion pursued, but he managed to elude them, arriving safely with his flutes filled with fire. He deposited the contents of the flutes down through the cold smoke hole of the assembly house, playing his flutes as he did so to distribute the fire among the people.
Because of an unequal distribution of the fire (caused by Coyote interrupting his song), the different people in different directions of the vast assembly house were given different languages, ways of speaking, and customs of cooking and preparing their food.
References:
de Angulo, J., & Freeland, L. S. (1928). Miwok and Pomo Myths. The Journal of American Folklore, 41(160), 232-252. https://doi.org/10.2307/534897
Gifford, Edward Winslow. "Miwok Myths" American Archaeology and Ethnology, Vol 12, No 8 pp 283-338, plate 6, University of California Publications, Dept of Anthropology, May 1917. https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/text/ucp012-010.pdf
Scientific Name: Panthera tigris tigris
Status: Endangered. All of the tiger species are endangered, and in most cases critically endangered due to illegal hunting, and habitat loss from logging and forest destruction
The tiger is a special creature, for the pattern of stripes on its forehead is very similar to the Chinese character which means "king", so people believe that Tiger must be the natural-born king. There is a place of honor in a triumvirate of three lucky animals: the Qilin, the Dragon, and the Tiger. Of the three, only Tigers roam the world, while the other two are creatures of the spirit and story realm. The majesty and deadly grace of the giant cats stirs awe among all who see them.
Metamorphosis into a tiger is a phenomenon spoken of in Chinese lore. A tiger's essence is so powerful and overwhelming, that there are accounts of how simply thinking too much about them can affect a physical transformation. One such story is of ninth century artist Yang Chen, who painted tigers obsessively. When he fell ill at the age of 90 and died, he was transformed into a tiger, leaving all memory and trace of his humanity behind.
References:
HAMMOND, C. E. (1992). SACRED METAMORPHOSIS: THE WERETIGER AND THE SHAMAN. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 46(2/3), 235-255. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23658449
Hammond, Charles E. (1996), "The Righteous Tiger and the Grateful Lion", Monumenta Serica, vol. 44, Taylor & Francis, pp. 191-211, JSTOR 40727087
Scientific Name: Ambystoma mexicanum
Status: Critically endangered because of pollution due to urbanization in areas around their lake habitats.
To the Aztecs, axolotl was a creature linked with death, and transformation. It was the animal form of the Aztec god Xolotl. Xolotl had a twin brother named Quetzalcoatl. The brothers embarked on a journey to the underworld in order to retrieve some bone relics from the goddess Mictlantecuhtli, whom they had to trick in order to win the bones. They fled back above to the living world of light with their prize. With the help of the gods, from these ancient bones, humans were born.
In another story, Xolotl fled from death. He disguised himself repeatedly, first as a corn plant, then a maguey plant, and was uncovered each time. Finally he took on the form of a salamander (an axolotl as it came to be called, stemming from Xolotl's name), and fled into the water, but death found him regardless.
References:
Offal: Rejected and Reclaimed Food : Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2016. (2017). United Kingdom: Prospect Books, pp 379-382.
Beyer, H. (1908). The Symbolic Meaning of the Dog in Ancient Mexico. American Anthropologist, 10(3), 419-422. http://www.jstor.org/stable/659861
"Axolotl". National Geogaphic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/facts/axolotl
Scientific Name: Bubo blakistoni
Status: Endangered. They are found throughout Russia and part of Asia, but population has been declining due to habitat loss and climate change.
These great owls can be found on the island of Hokkaido. Hunting the streams in in the boreal forests, they are an incredible sight, as the largest owls in the world and with a wingspan of six feet.
The Ainu call gods and demigods "kamuy". Everything in nature has a divine spirit; this includes the animals, the plants, and the inanimate and the elemental. Cikap-Kamuy is the god of owls and land. He is often depicted as a great owl, who watches over the country and villages, and his tears are gold and silver.
Owls are also sometimes viewed as birds of ill omen, along with the night-hawk, cuckoo, and other large birds. It is especially bad-fortune to see one such fly across the face of the moon. Should that occur, the only way to stave off that unluckiness is to change one's name.
References:
Batchelor, J. (1894). Items of Ainu Folk-Lore. The Journal of American Folklore, 7(24), 15-44. https://doi.org/10.2307/532957
Batchelor, J. (1894). Items of Ainu Folk-Lore. The Journal of American Folklore, 7(24), 15-44. https://doi.org/10.2307/532957
Ashkenazy, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003.
Chiri, Yukie; Selden, Kyoko. "The Song the Owl God Himself Sang, "Silver Droplets Fall Fall All Around," An Ainu Tale". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, Volum 14, Issue 15, No 5, Article ID 4931, August 2016. https://apjjf.org/2016/15/Chiri.html
Scientific Name: Chelonia mydas
Status: Endangered
Range: Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
Historian Mary Kawena Pukui tells a Hawaiian legend of a mystical sea turtle named Kauila. Her mother, Honupo-okea lay her very special egg to be warmed by the Hawaiian sun, and she dug a pond as a freshwater nest. When Kauila hatched, she lived in the pond and frolicked with the children who came to play in the water, tickling them with her bubbles, and sometimes transforming into a little girl herself.
Scientific Name: Adansonia digitata
Status: Baobabs have been suffering from the rapidly changing climate. They are an important part of savanna ecology, as their fruit is favored by bats and other pollinators, and the large trunks provide shelter for insects, animals, and birds.
The largest baobab is in South Madagascar. While there are many baobabs on a reserve, there is one that is estimated to be 1500 years old, and is named Reniala, meaning "mother of the forest" in Malagasy, for her size and shape. She towers above the smaller trees, grand and majestic.
With its stout bulbous shape and smaller wending crown of branches upon its apex, the baobab is a distinct silhouette upon the savanna, prompting various stories as to its origin.
A common story is that when God first made the baobab, it was a beautiful tree with spreading branches, and it was situated in the Congo basin. The baobab however was finicky and found the excessive moisture of the region distasteful. After much complaining and insults, which the other beings and animals were sorely tired of hearing, God finally plucked the baobab out of the earth in exasperation and threw it in the driest part of Africa, where it landed upside-down and was finally silenced.
In South Africa, it is told that the Great Spirit gave trees to the first man, and he also gave a tree to each animal. Hyena was the last to receive his tree, and in a fit of pique at being at the tail end of the roster, he threw his tree, and it landed upside-down.
References:
Wickens, G. E. (1982). The Baobab: Africa's Upside-Down Tree. Kew Bulletin, 37(2), 173-209. https://doi.org/10.2307/4109961
Wickens, G.E.; Lowe, P. (2008). The Baobabs: Pachycauls of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Springer Verlag, UK.
Pander, Heike. "'Bad Mouth' of Baobab". Baobab Stories, January 2016. https://baobabstories.com/en/bad-mouth-of-baobab/
Scientific Name: Danaus plexippus
Status: Endangered. There are two migration populations: eastern and western. As of 2022, the western population was counted at less than 2000. The eastern population is larger, however it is also declining, and most of the milkweed habitat is gone. To help counter this, conservation efforts emphasize the importance to residential gardeners to plant native plants, particularly species that monarchs require for nectar, and milkweed that they require for their larval stage.
The Mazahuas people of Mexico call monarchs "daughters of the sun" for the brilliant color of their wings, and because the arrival of the monarch migration meant the arrival of the Spring sun. They were revered, and used as living tribute, and jewelry and adornments.
Several indigenous legends say that monarch butterflies are the souls of children who have died, and they are welcomed back in the course of the monarch's migration path to arrive in the boughs of the trees in Mexico on the Day of the Dead.
The Aztec death goddess Itzpapalotl, whose name meant "Obsidian Butterfly", ruled over Tamoanchan, the land where women and children who did not survive childbirth went to. She was also patron to warriors.
References:
"Daughters of the Sun". USDA educational document. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/documents/royal_mail/Daughters_of_the_Sun.pdf "Itzpapalotl". Telleriano-Remensis Codex, folio 18 recto, MS Mexicain 385, Gallica digital collection https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8458267s/f62.item.zoom
Gingerich, Willard. "Three Nahuatl Hymns on the Mother Archetype: An Interpretive Commentary". Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos Vol 4 No 2 (Summer 1988). University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/1051822
Scientific Name: Lepus hainanus
Status: Endangered. Once hunted for its pelt, the largest danger today for the Lepus hainanus is loss of habitat. Despite it being endangered, it is still being hunted.
A popular Chinese folktale is attached to the Mid-autumn Festival. Storytellers in the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) would tell the tales of Chang O, and also the moon rabbit, whose shape is visible curled up in the shadows and light to gazers of the moon.
Chang O was married to a hero, an expert archer named Hou Yi. One day, disaster struck the land, as ten fiery suns rose into the sky instead of just one. The suns scorched the land, set fire to the fields, and boiled the seas. Hou Yi rose to the occasion as a hero of the people, and shot down nine of the ten suns. As a reward for this act, he was gifted an elixir of immortality. However, he did not want to leave his mortal wife behind, and so he did not drink the elixir. When a greedy apprentice of Hou Yi's found out about the elixir, he tried to take it from Chang O by force. In escaping from him, she drank the elixir and floated to the moon. Her companion on the moon is the Jade Rabbit who pounds on a mortar and pestle to create pills of immortality.
References:
Yang, Lihui; An, Deming (2005). Handbook of Chinese mythology. Santa Barbara.
SCHAFER, E. H. (1988). Ways of Looking at the Moon Palace. Asia Major, 1(1), 1-13. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41645416
Marie-Luise, Latsch. "Traditional Chinese Festivals". Graham Brash, 1985.
Scientific Name: Smutsia temminckii
Status: Vulnerable. Of the eight pangolin species, all of them are protected and range from being vulnerable to critically endangered. They are all at risk because of poaching for traditional medicine, or ornamental trade, as well as habitat loss.
The reclusive and nocturnal pangolins are rarely seen, and this heightens the mythical shroud around their existence.
Elders of the VaJindwi in Zimbabwe have been reminding people of the old myths and beliefs that lead people to see the beauty of and to instill a sense of reverent respect for the creatures, in the face of poaching. The VaJindwi belief system and practices embrace mysticism, and recognizes evil spirits as well as the benevolent ones of animals and plants. To come across a pangolin is good luck, and the number of steps it takes indicates the number of good years that person will have. To injure or kill one is taboo.
Anthropologist Martin Walsh writes of Tanzanian Sangu belief that pangolins fell from the sky (uwulanga) to the earth, sent by Sangu ancestors, to bond to a human. The human and pangolin then undergo a series of rites of seclusion, singing, and dancing. If the pangolin sheds tears while dancing it is an omen of good rains to come in the next year. Dry eyes mean drought, and the savannahs and all the creatures that live upon them suffer if the rainfall is sparse. At the culmination of the ritual, the person and the pangolin were led to the river by the elders, and the pangolin ritually sacrificed.
References:
Mambondiyani, Andrew. "Zimbabwe's chiefs revive tradition to save the country's last pangolins". Mongabay Series: Indigenous Peoples and Conservation, July 2018. https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/zimbabwes-chiefs-revive-tradition-to-save-the-countrys-last-pangolins/
Walsh, Martin T. "THe Ritual Sacrifice of Pangolins Among the Sangu of South-west Tanzania". Bulletin of the International Committee on Urgent Anthropological and Ethnological Research, 37/38: 155-170, 1995/96. https://www.pangolinsg.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/06/Walsh-1996-Ritual-Sacrifice-of-Pangolins-among-Sangu-of-Southwest-Tanzania.pdf
Scientific Name: Canis rufus
Status: Critically Endangered, due to poaching, trapping, and habitat loss. It is the world's most endangered canid. They are important to the ecosystem because as an apex predator, they play a vital role in keeping populations of deer and smaller mammals in check. As an "umbrella species", a healthy population of red wolves makes for an increase in overall health and balance of the entire region.
The Pawnee Nation flag and seal features at the center, the profile of a wolf, which embodies the courage and cunning of the Pawnee. They were referred to by other Plains tribes as the Wolf People, out of respect for their tenacity, strength, and war prowess. When hunting, they strove to sense as a wolf, and move as stealthily.
The Milky Way is called the Wolf Road. Due to earth's orbit, Sirius, the Wolf Star, passes the sun and disappears for part of the year. It appears in the evening in the winter, and in the pre-dawn hours in the summer. This appearance and disappearance of the Wolf Star was said to be the comings and goings of the wolf from the spirit world, running back and forth along the trail of the Wolf Road.
References:
Pawnee Nation Flag & Seal, Pawnee Nation. https://pawneenation.org/pawnee-nation-flag-and-seal
Lopez, Barry H. (1978). Of Wolves and Men. J. M. Dent and Sons Limited.
Fletcher, A. C. (1903). Pawnee Star Lore. The Journal of American Folklore, 16(60), 10-15. https://doi.org/10.2307/533670
Scientific Name: Elephas maximus
Status: Endangered. Elephants are important to the environment because their passage through dense forests creates paths that other animals can use and traverse, as well as digging watering holes. As the largest herbivores in the world, they also transport and disperse seeds and provide fertilizer. The greatest threat to them is poaching for ivory trade.
In Southeast Asia, possession of sacred white elephants are revered as symbolic of godliness and royalty. Buddhists believe that such was one of the incarnations of Buddha. White (albino) elephants were, and still are),coveted by monarchs as signs that the ruler was just and favored. Such a mark of blessing would confer upon the whole kingdom, prosperity, health, and plenty.
It was said that the King of Siam would sometimes gift a white elephant in a malicious favor to someone that they disliked. The care and feeding of an elephant was no small burden upon one's finances, and a royal gift is not one to be spurned (or allowed to die). This is the origin of the modern day usage of calling an unwanted, expensive, burdensome gift, a "white elephant".
On the eve of Bautama Buddha's birth, his mother, Queen Maha Maya had a dream in which an elephant circled round her three times, gave her a gift of a lotus flower, and entered into her womb from the right side.
References:
The White Elephant. (1884). The British Medical Journal, 1(1204), 179-179. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25265389
Bishop, C. W. (1921). The Elephant and Its Ivory in Ancient China. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 41, 290-306. https://doi.org/10.2307/593732
Oxford Dictionary: "white elephant" https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/white-elephant
Encylopedia Britannica: "Maha Maya" https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maha-Maya
Bowring, Sir John. "The Kingdom and People of Siam; with A narrative of the mission to that country in 1855" Volume II. London: John W. Parker and Son, West Strand, 1857.
Scientific Name: Bubalus arnee
Status: Endangered. Loss of genetic diversity has occurred due to hybridization with domestic and feral buffalos, but they have also been threatened by hunting and disease spread from livestock interaction.
The Chinese zodiac is over 2000 years old, and as part of the astrological system, twelve animals are representatives of each year of 12-year cycles. A story is told of how these animals were first chosen by the Jade Emperor. A great race was held, and the twelve winners were awarded places in the calendar.
The animals were: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. Despite his steady gait, and his ability to navigate both land and water, Ox was second, due to a bit of trickery from wily Rat.
As the race was drawing towards its end, Ox and Rat were both in the lead. When they came to a great river near the finish line, Rat looked to the rushing waters and turned to Ox. "Friend Ox," he said. "Could you allow me to ride upon your back to the other side, as I would surely drown if left to brave these currents on my own, and you are strong and can swim so well!" Ox, being good-natured, agreed, only to have the duplicitous Rat leap off his back once they had crossed the river, and cross the finish line first.
References:
Hsueh, ShaoLan. "The Chinese Zodiac, explained". TED, Feb 2016. https://www.ted.com/talks/shaolan_the_chinese_zodiac_explained?language=en
Fawal, Julia. "The surprising influence of the Chinese zodiac", Sept 2016. TED. https://ideas.ted.com/the-surprising-influence-of-the-chinese-zodiac/ https://billingslibrary.org/DocumentCenter/View/7232/Chinese-Zodiac?bidId=#:~:text=According%20to%20myths%2C%20the%20twelve,finish%20line%20on%20the%20shore.
Markarian, Taylor, "The 12 Chinese Astrology Signs and What They Mean for You". Reader's Digest, Aug 2023. https://www.rd.com/article/what-is-my-chinese-zodiac-sign/
Scientific Name: Carnegiea gigantea
Status: Not currently threatened, but heavily protected in their native habitat through conservation efforts and regulated by Arizona.
Range: Sonoran Desert
To the native Tohono Oodham people, the saguaro cactus is considered an honored relative that sustains them both spiritually and physically. According to their mythology, the first saguaro was created when a young woman sank deep into the earth and rose back out as a giant cactus, arms raised toward the heavens. Once a year during the hot months of June and July, that majestic saguaro maiden dresses up with striking white flowers in her hair, then bears a crimson fruit called bahidaj in the Oodham language.
Scientific Name: Urocissa whiteheadi
Status: Endangered. Very small population that is declining due to habitat loss and hunting.
The Chinese Qixi Festival happens on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, and the story told on that day is of the romance between the Cowherd and the Weavergirl, originating in the Han Dynasty, with the earliest reference in Shijing, known as "Book of Odes". This book is the oldest collection of Chinese poetry. In the original text, there was no romance, simply mention of the Heavenly River, the stars Altair, Vega, and Aquila as Herderboy, Weavergil, and the Magpies. The lovers' tale evolved in the centuries following.
Weavergirl was a celestial being, and the youngest of seven sisters. She and Weaverboy, who was human, fell in love, and so she went to live with him upon the earth. Her marital bliss, however, led to her neglecting her heavenly duties and earning the ire of the Jade Emperor.
The lovers were separated in the heavens. The Milky Way spills in a glistening, heavenly river, and forever keeps the lovers apart, except for once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, when all the magpies of the world fly up and form a bridge of wings. On this day, the Cowherd and Weavergirl might briefly touch, before spinning back to their corners of the sky. This is one of the reasons why magpies are considered auspicious birds and bringers of good fortune.
References:
Pankenier, D. W. (2015). Weaving Metaphors and Cosmo-political Thought in Early China. T'oung Pao, 101(1/3), 1-34. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24755027
Gao, Jie. Saving the Nation through Culture: The Folklore Movement in Republican China. Contemporary Chinese Studies. University of British Columbia Press.
Schomp, Virginia (2009). The ancient Chinese. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark.
Scientific Name: Leucogeranus leucogeranus
Status: Critically Endangered. With the longest migratory route of all cranes, Siberian Cranes are imperiled and difficult to protect from hunters. Habitat loss and degradation has also had a toll, and development of dams affects the tributaries and threaten the overwintering sites for the birds.
With three populations that utilize different Flyways for migration, Siberian Cranes travel up to 6000 miles from their wintering sites in India, China, and Iran to where they breed in Siberia, crossing the HImalayas on their perilous journey. Siberian cranes are striking in appearance: snowy bodies, red crowns, and black primary feathers. Their grace and fluidity inspire stories of their true nature as sacred creatures representative of the sun, and of springtime.
Among the Sakha of Russia who have a shamanic tradition, it is said that shamans are born far to the north. Their souls are cultured under the watchful care of the Bird-Mother, who has the head of an eagle and iron feathers. Her eggs hatch into varying levels of shamans, which she nurtures until they are ready. When a candidate has learned enough wisdom, they become a vessel for one of these shaman-souls. A shaman linked to helper ancestral spirits, who passed on shamanic gifts and aid to the shaman. These spirits were often birds such as a hawk, crane, or sandpiper, but also could be bear or dog or other creatures.
References:
Eliade, Mircea (translated by Trask, Willard R.). "Shamanism - Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy", Bollingen Series LXXVI, Princeton University Press, 1964. https://www.academia.edu/32688365/SHAMANISM_Archaic_Techniques_of_Ecstasy_M_I_R_C_E_A_E_L_I_A_D_E
Delaby, Laurence (1987). "Yakut Religion". Encyclopedia.com https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/yakut-religion
Balzer, M. M. (1996). Flights of the Sacred: Symbolism and Theory in Siberian Shamanism. American Anthropologist, 98(2), 305-318. http://www.jstor.org/stable/682889
Scientific Name: Geronticus eremita
Status: Critically Endangered. Most recent population crash resulted from the introduction of pesticides in the 1950s.
In the Old Testament, the ibis was mentioned as a fertility messenger, and was one of the first birds that Noah released from the arc. And in the Sixth Labour of Heracles in ancient Greek myth, he was charged by King Eurystheus to go to the marsh near Stymphalos, where he needed to rid the town of an enormous flock of vicious ibis-like birds. They were bronze and iron and had fearsome, powerful beaks. With loud, clapping noisemakers given to him by Athena, Heracles startled the dread flock into flight. As they did so, the hero shot them with his bow and arrows and accomplished his task.
The ibis is also found represented among hieroglyphs and ancient Egyptian artifacts. Though it was the sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) that was the specific subject, it has been extinct since the 19th century. The ibis was sacred and was regarded as the embodiment of Thoth, god of wisdom, writing, scribes, science, and art. His Egyptian name was Djehuty, "He who is like the Ibis". Thoth was depicted with the body of a man, and the head of an ibis. Along with Ma'at, he guided the sun barge, a mythical boat bearing the sun, and dispensed arbitration in disputes among the other gods, and judgments upon the dead.
References:
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum: RC 225 Thoth Votive Mummies, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. "Thoth". https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-thoth
Encyclopedia Britannica: "Thoth" https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thoth
Mark, Joshua J. "Thoth". World History. https://www.worldhistory.org/Thoth/
Arnold, D. (1995). An Egyptian Bestiary. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 52(4) "28. Statuette of Thoth", "29. Hieroglyphic Sign Showing and Ibis", 30. https://doi.org/10.2307/3269051
Shuker, Karl (2003). "Dreams of a feathered Geronticus". The Beasts That Hide from Man: Seeking the World's Last Undiscovered Animals. Cosimo.
Crane, Gregory R., "The Stymphalian Birds". Perseus Digital Library, Classics Department, Tufts University. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/birds.html
Scientific Name: Balaenoptera musculus
Status: Endangered. Commercial whaling in earlier centuries greatly reduced their global numbers, and current primary threats are environmental changes, vessel strikes, and ocean noise. Because whales are so enormous and long-lived, they accumulate a significant amount of carbon in their bodies during their lifetime. Blue whales help to regulate krill populations, which are tied to the populations of phytoplankton and algae on which they feed.
In Ancient Greek myths, cetea were leviathan sea creatures. The Ancient Greeks imagined them as sea monsters, but they were most likely inspired by sights of enormous whales.
Queen Cassiopeia of Aethiopia was a vain woman, not only of herself, but she was also overly proud of her daughter Andromeda's beauty. She boasted that Andromeda was more lovely than the Nereids (sea nymphs). This angered Poseidon, god of the sea, who sent a sea monster Cetus to attack the city of the boastful queen.
The king and queen belatedly became fearful. They consulted an oracle, who told them they must sacrifice their daughter Andromeda to appease Poseidon. In great distress, but with no other alternative for salvation, they set about to do so, but the hero Perseus swooped in and managed to save the day by defeating the sea creature and rescuing Andromeda from her dire fate.
References:
Papadopoulos, J. K., & Ruscillo, D. (2002). A Ketos in Early Athens: An Archaeology of Whales and Sea Monsters in the Greek World. American Journal of Archaeology, 106(2), 187-227. https://doi.org/10.2307/4126243
Thomas Bulfinch (1855). Age of Fable: Beauties of Mythology. S.W. Tilton & Co, Boston pp 163-167. http://www.online-literature.com/bulfinch/mythology_fable/9/ https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Age_of_Fable/Y5cZAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=perseus
Scientific Name: Rangifer tarandus caribou
Status: Critically Endangered. Highly adapted to a boreal ecosystem, they are threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, as well as industrial-scale resource extraction.
Caribou have an essential relationship with the Innu Tribes, for the nomadic tribes relied on the animals and hunted them, but also deeply respected the spirit of the creatures. For the Innu, the spirit world is bound to the real world seamlessly and the shamans would communicate with the spirits with their drums. Animal Masters within Innu mythology are supernatural beings who give the people permission to hunt the creatures in a respectful way, for food and for the materials to support their livelihood. They ensure that the people follow the traditions and hunting rituals, else face famine and repercussions.
Among the Animal Masters, Caribou Man (Kanipinikassikueu), is one of the most important leaders. He is sometimes said to have once been a man, who fell in love with a caribou-woman and was transformed into a caribou. This marriage and transformation between human and caribou highlights the mutual nature of the relationship of hunters and the animals, and how life is thus granted by sacrifice.
References:
Native Languages: Caribou Man (Kanipinikassikueu) http://www.native-languages.org/caribou-man.htm
Walker, John (1996). Place of the Boss: Utshimassits. National Film Board of Canada https://vimeo.com/247193637
Blaser, M. (2014). Ontology and indigeneity: on the political ontology of heterogeneous assemblages. Cultural Geographies, 21(1), 49-58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26168541
Innu Mythology, archived from innu.ca https://web.archive.org/web/20050828084236/http://innu.ca/myth.html
Interview of Jerry Alfred (Northern Tutchone, Selkirk First Nation) by Hubl Greiner in Pelly Crossing, Canada, 2013. Telling of the legend of "Caribou Man" by Jerry Alfred. https://www.hubl.com/interview-with-first-nations-musician-jerry-alfred/
Scientific Name: Cyprinus carpio
Status: Vulnerable. Wild populations have been deteriorating slowly due to declining river regulation.
There is a great cleft in the limestone cliffs where the Yellow river spills in spectacular falls. There is a legend from the times of imperial China, where the journey of the carp to become a dragon was a metaphor for young scholars passing the civil service exams, leading to a life of prestige and success in the upper circles of society, no matter how humble the scholars' origins.
The lowly carp spends its life trying to swim up the Yellow River, each year returning to the place where it was spawned. It is an arduous journey, made more difficult by many series of cascading waterfalls throughout the length of the river. At the source of the river is a great roaring falls. If the carp were able to swim up that waterfall, it would be rewarded and transformed into a dragon. Thus, the carp is a symbol of personal advancement, perseverance, determination in the face of impossible obstacles, and inner strength.
References:
Lewis, Mark Edward (February 2012). The Flood Myths of Early China. SUNY Press.
Cartwright, Mark. "The Dragon in Ancient China", World History Encyclopedia, Sept 2017. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1125/the-dragon-in-ancient-china/
Oswald, Benjamin. "Longmen Grottos", World History Encyclopedia, Aug 2017. https://www.worldhistory.org/Longmen_Grottoes/
Laing, E. J. (2017). Carp and Goldfish as Auspicious Symbols and their Representation in Chinese Popular Prints. Arts Asiatiques, 72, 97-109. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44656691
Scientific Name: Otus thilohoffmanni
Status: Endangered. Otus thilohoffmanni has a very small range, and a small population, and is threatened by habitat degradation.
There is a creature who lives in the forests of Sri Lanka known as the Devil-Bird, or ulama. It flies silently through the darkness, unseen, but not unheard, for its horrific screaming cry brings chills to all who hear it, and makes them fear impending calamity. Accounts from those who heard the cry, describe it as though someone were being tortured, or strangled.
There is a legend of a woman whose husband murdered her child and served to his wife a gristly curry in which she found a severed finger. In grief and fury, she underwent a metamorphosis into the ulama. Her voice rose in a terrible wail to haunt the jungles. It is a blood-curdling sound that can be heard in the night, and to hear it means a death is portended.
It is suspected that the sound comes from an owl cryptid of some sort, though the identity of the creature that emits it has never been determined.
References:
Tennent, James Emerson (1861). Sketches of the natural history of Ceylon with narratives and anecdotes. London: Longman, Green. pp. 246-248. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sketches_of_the_natural_history_of_Ceylo/F6E5AAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=ulama
"Devil Bird of Ceylon". The Sunday Times. No. 1113. New South Wales, Australia. 19 May 1907. p. 3 (The Sunday Times Magazine Section). Retrieved 3 August 2020 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126269451
Scientific Name: Cacicus koepckeae
Status:
Range: Peru
The Evil Bird: The bird is said to be black feathers, and large bulging eyes, that penetrate and can see fear. According to legend if one saw it perched on the roof of a house, the inhabitant was soon to die. The Evil Bird lives in the countryside, in the most beautiful trees.
