In 2013 the United Nations General Assembly declared that the 3rd of March every year would be the day of"the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)", known simply as World Wildlife Day. This day would not only be a great opportunity to celebrate the beauty of the natural world but also to raise awareness of the plight of many species due to wildlife crime.

Both plants and animals provide the Earth with everything it needs to make it habitable for people to exist and thrive here, providing oxygen, clean water and food and even primitive tools came from plants and animals, along with clothes. Even fossil fuels have evolved as a result of decaying plant and animal species over billions of years, providing people with energy to give us heat and electrical power.

Although there are currently numerous conservation initiatives around the world that promote the importance of large, iconic species such as elephants, tigers and polar bears, World Wildlife Day is about also promoting the importance of smaller species whose significance to the eco-system is often overlooked. Such species include frogs, bats and even crabs amongst numerous others.

For example, the Mexican government has recently announced a commitment of $37 million to help to secure the future of the vaquita which is the smallest porpoise in the world. With less than 100 individuals thought to be left in the wild (only a quarter of which are thought to be breeding females), the species is constantly underthreat from the gillnets used by fisherman in the Sea of Cortez in their hunt for totoaba fish.

Ultimately this World Wildlife Day, we should all take the time to appreciate the signifcance of wildlife not only in our local areas but also all around the world. Like us, animals are able to use tools to aid their survival, form strong bonds between one another and are able to experience complex emotions including both happiness and pain. We share our world with both animals and plants that quite simply, we cannot live without.

Greenland is the world’s largest island and with a very exiting wildlife located in the Arctic. All the interesting species in the island have all adapted to the Arctic climate both on land and at sea.

The animals on land
The largest and most significant animal predator on land is the polar bear. The polar bear is white and almost the essence of the wildlife in Greenland. Sometimes it can be challenging to find the white polar bear in the Arctic, because of its contrast to the ice.

Greenland also contains more instinctive animals like the musk ox and the reindeer. The unique musk ox looks like a big, brown rock from distance. The musk ox is the largest land mammal in Greenland. The reindeer has been living in the Arctic’s areas for more than thousands of years and have been an important prey for hunters.

Greenland also has a lot of different bird species, actually 60 species of bird breed. One special bird is the white-tailed eagle, which is absolutely breath taken because of its large size. Furthermore there are plenty of small land mammals, like arctic foxes, mountain hares and wolves. These animals are rare seen close to buildings and cities.

The animals at sea
The whales are everywhere in Greenland and can easily be seen in the water as well. The animal there is to see in the frequent Greenlandic waters is the narwhal, walrus, fin whales, humpback whales and minke whales. You can also experience species like bowhead whale, blue whale and sperm whale, which also comes across the Greenlandic waters sometime.

There are around 15 different species of whales visiting the Greenlandic waters. These different species mostly visits around the summer and not the winter, which mean there are not many whales doing the winter. Actually, the only whales who also stays doing the winter is the killer whale and the blue whale, which is rarely seen.

In the Greenlandic waters are all of the whales regardless their ages jumping up from the water showing their big tails and flippers. The acrobat in the whale family is the humpback whale, even though it weighs around 30 tonnes and is 18 metres long.

Weasel Classification and Evolution
The Weasel is a small-sized carnivorous mammal that is found on every continent with the exception of Australiaand it's surrounding islands, along with the more hostilepolar regions. There are numerous Weasel species that all vary in size, colour and slightly with their behavioursdepending on where in the world they live. The Common Weasel (also known as the European Weasel and the Least Weasel) is the most wide-spread and can be found across much of the northern hemisphere. These tiny but vicious predators are the smallest carnivorous mammals in the world growing to no more than 6 inches from their nose to the tip of their tail. Weasels belong to the mustelid family of carnivores and are most closely related to similar species such as Stoats which are larger in size and have a black tip at the end of their brown tail. Although Weasels are fairly common throughout much of their natural range, populations in certain areas have been affected by habitat loss and they are often seen as pests by farmers.

Weasel Anatomy and Appearance
The Weasel has evolved to prey on small animals like no other carnivore as their long, slender bodies are perfectly suited for following mice into their burrows. Weasels have a small and narrow head which is not much thicker than their neck and along with their short legs and flexible spine means that they are able to easily manoeuvre themselves around in small, confined spaces. The Weasel has a sharply pointed snout and triangular head, small rounded ears and black eyes. Their coat is dark or light brown in colour on their head, back, legs and tail and white on their underside and moults twice a year from the darker winter coat to the flatter, lighter one in April, and again from the summer to the winter coat in August or September. This not only ensures that by November the Weasel is as warm as possible but in areas further north, individuals will often change from brown to white in colour so that they are camouflaged amongst the snow.

Weasel Distribution and Habitat
Weasels are natively found in a variety of habitats such as woodlands, coniferous forest and on grassy plains in North America, Europe, Asia and in northern parts of Africa. Like their larger cousin the Stoat, Weasels have also been introduced to other countries (mainly as a form of pest control) like New Zealand and a number of other islands. However, like the introduction of a number of small predators to such isolated places, Weasels have had a profound effect on native wildlife which has evolved in the same way for millions of years without the threat of small, terrestrial carnivores. Weasels are opportunistic predators and can also be found in more urban areas and particularly close to farms where there is a varied and tempting supply of food. Despite their adaptability, Weasels are threatened byhabitat loss in parts of their natural range.

Weasel Behaviour and Lifestyle
The Weasel is a solitary animal that spends a great deal of it's life hunting for smallmammals on the ground during both the day and night. Weasels are territorial animals that patrol home ranges that vary in size depending on the habitat and the availability of food and although the home ranges of males and females are known to overlap, the two tend to avoid each other except when mating. Within their territory, Weasels are known to make nests in crevices, tree roots and abandoned burrows which are lined with grass and fur and are where the Weasel is able to safely rest. Weasels are incredibly strong and powerful for their size and are able to catch and kill animals that are much larger than themselves, before carrying it back to their burrow. In order to make sure that they have the best view of their surroundings, Weasels are known to sit up on their hind legs exposing their white underside.

Weasel Reproduction and Life Cycles
The only time Weasels will tolerate one another is when a male and female meet to mate. After a gestation period that lasts for around five weeks, the female Weasel gives birth to a litter of between one and seven kittens in her burrow. Young Weasels develop remarkably quickly and are not only weaned by the time they are two months old, but are also able to hunt small prey and will leave their mother within the next few weeks to establish a territory of their own. Although female Weasels tend to live for around three years, they are not able to successfully breed until their second and third years. Males however, will rarely reach their first birthday as their inclination to roam further in search of a mate means that they are often more vulnerable to numerous predators.

The flying squirrel is a medium-sized rodent, closely related to the squirrels found in woodlands and acrossgrasslands around the world. Flying squirrels tend to be slightly larger in size than the common squirrel.

Despite the name, flying squirrels cannot actually fly, although they can be airborne for a remarkable length of time. Instead of flying, flying squirrels move through the air by gliding (normally between the trees), with the longest recorded glide of a flying squirrel being nearly 90 meters.

Flying squirrels have a furry, stretchy membrane that stretches between their front and back legs. When the flying squirrel needs to get away quickly, it opens it's arms and legs out and uses the membrane like a parachute. Flying squirrels also have large eyes, and stubby flattened tails.

There are nearly 50 different species of flying squirrel found in forests around the world. Flying squirrels range in size and colour depending on the species of flying squirrel. The largest species of flying squirrel is the Woolly flying squirrel, which is found in Pakistan and the smallest flying squirrel species is the pygmy flying squirrel, found in the jungles of Borneo and Malaysia.

Flying squirrels are omnivorous animals meaning that their diet is based on both plant andanimal matter. The flying squirrel is a nocturnal animal, so it forages for food under the cover of night as flying squirrels are not able to easily escape the birds of prey that hunt during the day. Flying squirrels eat nuts, seeds, fruits, berries, insects and bird eggs.

Due to their small size, flying squirrels have numerous natural predators wherever they live in the world. Domestic cats, raccoons, snakes, birds of prey, foxes dogs and coyotes are all primary predators of the flying squirrel.

Flying squirrels are known to breed twice a year, in the early spring and again in the summer. After a gestation period of roughly 40 days, the female flying squirrel gives birth to between 2 and 7 baby flying squirrels, which are blind and naked when they are born. The baby flying squirrels develop fur and open their eyes when they are about a month old. The young flying squirrels begin to glide and forage with their mother when they are roughly 2 months old.

The hare, closely related to the rabbit, is a small mammalfound primarily in the Northern hemisphere. Although there are different species of hare found all over the world, the hare is most commonly found in Europe and North America with the Arctic Hare found inhabiting the freezing climates within the Arctic Circle.

The hare is one of the fastest of all the smaller animals, with hares being able to move at speeds of around 45mph. The strong hind legs of the hare, combined with the large feet of the hare give the hare the ability to run so quickly. The hare is also able to jump over large distances with great ease.

The hare differs from the rabbit mainly in size, as hares are much larger than the average bunny rabbit. The baby hares are also born with their eyes open and a full coat of fur, and these hare babies are often able to hop about after just a few minutes in the outside world.

Hares have very long ears with along with their accurate sense of smell, allow the hare to detect any oncoming predators often before the predators have even noticed the hare. The hare then hops very quickly, in a similar way to a kangaroo, in order to make an escape to safety.

There are over 30 different species of hare found close to farmland and open forests worldwide. The hare is a very adaptable animal as there are species of hare also found indesert regions and of course, the bitterly cold Arctic Tundra.

Due to the size and speed of the hare, the hare is generally not a first choice meal for manypredators although there are a number of animals that will hunt hares. The predators of the hare include large birds of prey and wild dogs, and also humans who will often hunt hares both to eat and for pest control.

The hare is generally a calm and docile animal, as hares spend most of their time resting and foraging for food. The hare mainly eats plant matter (grass being one of the favourite foods of the hare) but hares also eat seeds, vegetables and fruit in order to fill them up.

Hares have often been used as symbolic signs, the definitions of which differ with cultures, and hare are also one of the most common animals used in folklore and stories in many different cultures around the world.

Unlike rabbits, hares give birth to their young in nest on the ground rather than in burrows below the ground, which allows baby hares to become accustomed to a life of self-protection as the hares are not born in the safety of an underground burrow. Baby hares are often able to look after themselves from a very early age.