Top 10 Endangered Animals

Transcription

1 Top 10 Endangered Animals

2 Ivory- Billed Woodpecker This animal lives in the southeastern part of the United States and parts of Cuba Was considered to be extinct until 2004 when there were sightings in part of Arkansas Its extinction was due to habitation loss

3 Amur Leopard Rare leopard subspecies that lives only in the remote and snowy northern forests of eastern Russia Its former habitats included Korea and northern China, but the Amur leopard is now extinct in those countries. In 2007, the counted only adults and 5-6 cubs. The treat of extinction is caused by logging, road building, poaching, and global climate change.

4 Javan Rhinoceros The Javan is the most endangered of the world s five rhinoceros species. There is estimated only animals remaining on the western tip of the Island of Java in Indonesia. The water- and swamp-loving Javan rhinoceros formerly ranged throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia. They have been hunted to nearextinction for its horn, which is used to make Asian folk medicines. They are now a protected animal, but may not have a large enough population from going extinct.

5 Greater Bamboo Lemur The Island of Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa, is home to dozens of species of lemurs. Almost all of them are disappearing very quickly due habitat loss and illegal hunting. Fewer than 100 greater bamboo lemurs remain in the island s southeastern and south-central forests.

6 Northern Right Whale The most endangered of all the world s whale species, the northern right whale numbers around 350. They travel the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the US. This whale was hunted almost to extinction in the 19th century because of the valuable whale oil it naturally produced. This whale is now protected, but still has major loss due to fishing gear and global warming.

7 Western Lowland Gorilla There are two lowland gorillas native to West Africa: the western lowland which has the most numbers, and the Cross River gorilla of which only a tiny population of a few hundred remains. There population has declined over 60% in the past 25 years. The reason for near extinction is caused by habitat loss, poachers, and a deadly disease that has spread through the gorilla population. This disease has affected over 90% of the great apes population.

8 Leatherback Sea Turtle The leatherback sea turtle is the earth s biggest turtle and has the largest range of any species, swimming all over the globe from the tropics to the sub-polar regions. In 1982 there were around 115,000 adult female leatherback turtles in the world, and 14 years later there was only 20,000 to 30,000. Leatherbacks sometimes die after ingesting plastic debris they find floating in the ocean. Other reasons for its decline include stealing of eggs by humans and loss of beaches because of climate change.

9 Siberian Tiger The Siberian, tiger is the largest big cat in the world, weighing up to 660 pounds. The tiger lives in the birch forests of Russia s frigid and snowy Far East, and formerly inhabited the colder regions of China and Korea. Russia s tiger population had dropped to around 40 individuals by the 1930 s because of hunting. Since then this animal has been protected, and the population has increased to 500. Its population has been affected by illegal hunting and logging.

10 Chinese Giant Salamander The Chinese giant salamander is the world s largest amphibian, growing to lengths of up to 6 feet. It lives in central, southwestern, and southern China. It lays up to 500 eggs at one time in underwater burrows. The males protect the eggs. It has almost completely gone extinct because of overexploitation as a food source.

11 Kakapo Parrot This parrot lives in New Zealand. It is the heaviest parrot weighing up to 9 pounds. It does not fly, and is nocturnal. In the 1970 s, this bird almost went into extinction because rats and cats would eat their nests. New Zealanders started a program to protect this animal. Today, there are only 150 kakapo parrots left in the wild.