Animals of the year 2014

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.

... 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.

... 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.

... 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.

... 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!

... 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.

... 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.