When have you last seen a hedgehog? According to the People's Trust for Endangered Species and the British Trust for Ornithology, hedgehog numbers have dropped. It's thought that the number of hedgehogs decreases by five percent each year. In another recent survey (December 2019), The UK hedgehog population, which stood at an estimated 30 million in the 1950s, is now down to about 1 million, with much of the decline in the past two decades, according to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS). WHY ? An increase in badgers; they are the only animals that can unroll, kill and eat hedgehogs. Their numbers have extended by more than 85% since around 1985. An increase in roads and traffic; collision with vehicles is one of the most common forms of mortality in hedgehog population.   HOW CAN I HELP ? Make a hole in your fence (it doesn't have to be big) so any local hedgehog can get through. Leave food and water so it can eat and drink. Don't cut any hedgerows and let your garden grow wild. Other animals in our British countryside that are endangered are The Scottish wildcat The skylark The small blue butterfly The red squirrel. We hope the government will ensure they get extra attention - and all of us - will make sure they continue to survive and thrive.   By Milena                                                                                                                                                              

Usain Bolt, the world's fastest human, has a record of being able to travel 6.2 times his body length in one second. While this is amazing, it is nothing compared to the speeds of the Saharan Silver Ant. The ant can travel at 33.66 inches per second, which, though it may sound like a very minimal amount to us, considering the ant's body length, is actually an immense distance. This length is the ant's body length 108 times over. Though it may just seem like a cool skill, there are other reasons why the Saharan Silver Ant needs to run at this speed. The main one is the heat of the sand. In the Saharan desert (the ant's natural habitat) the temperatures of the sands can soar to heats of over 40 degrees celsius. If the insect were to stay still on the ground, its feet would be burned. Another reason why the ant needs to run at such a speed is because of its predators. The main predator of the Saharan Silver Ant is the Dumérils fringe-fingered lizard. This reptile builds its burrows near Saharan Silver Ant colonies and when they come out to gather food, it hunts and eats them. To prevent this from happening, one ant will stay outside of the colony's nest and when the lizard returns to its burrow, the ant will alert the rest of the colony and they go out to gather food. When a Saharan Silver Ant runs, at times all six of its feet are off the ground. This makes the ant one of the only insects in the world which is able to gallop! Its speed is also the equivalent of a house cat running at 120 mph. As well as a record breaker, this ant is one of the world's most amazing creatures.    

Have you ever wished that the pesky mosquito would just go away? Well, in the space of just two years, scientists have been able to wipe out the annoying bugs from two Chinese islands. This is an amazing achievement. However could it be done globally and what would be the effect on our ecosystem? Mosquitos are serious killers in the animal kingdom; rated one of the most dangerous animals by scientists and are the main source of deadly diseases such malaria or ebola. Wiping out this entire species would save billions of lives today and in the future. But on the other hand, trillions of mosquitos would die. This would not be the first time our species had eliminated an other - Dodos, Pyrenean Ibexes, Baiji White Dolphins, and West African Black Rhinoceros' are all good examples of animals that are now extinct due to our selfish need for money, food and enjoyment. However, there's a catch with the idea of wiping out mosquitos... the ecosystem is at risk if we proceed. Although we know that we would be unable to survive without bees, no one is sure what might happen if the population of mosquitos was wiped out. Our Fragile  ecosystem is already failing due to climate change and another major upheaval like that might just be beginning of the end for our fragile planet.