Extinct Endangered Species

8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species

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EXTINCT ENDANGERED SPECIES

African Elephant

Loxodonta africana

Threatened The African elephant is the largest living land

animal and weighs up to 5,400 kg. It inhabits

the Savannah, brush, forest, river valleys,

and semi-desert regions of Africa south of the

Sahara Desert. Besides its greater size, it differs from the Asian elephant

in having larger ears and tusks, a sloping forehead, and two ³fingers´ at

the tip of its trunk, compared to only one in the Asian species. As vegetarians, elephants require much food, sometimes consuming more

than 225 kg of plant matter a day. Their trunk is employed to pull

branches off trees, uproot grass, pluck fruit, and to place food in their

mouths. The trunk is also used for smell, touch and in drinking, greeting

or throwing dust for dust baths. In both sexes, the two incisor teeth of

the upper jaw grow to form tusks, and it is for this ivory, used at one time

in the manufacture of piano keys, billiard balls, and other objects, that

hunters have slaughtered thousands of these magnificent animals.



Bald Eagle

H aliaeetus leucocephalus

Threatened This majestic bird is found across all of

southern Canada, but is commonest on the

Pacific coast. The bald eagle also ranges in

Alaska and the rest of the United States. The

adult can be distinguished by its white head and neck which it takes ab out

four years to attain. Adult males have a body length of 75 to 85 cm and a

wingspan of 180 to 213 cm. Females are slightly larger. The bald eagle is primarily a scavenger rather than a predator, and

subsists mainly on fish. It is most commonly found along coasts where

cast-ups provide most of its food. It occasionally makes its own kills, and,

when fish are not available, it may take a fewbirds. Bald eagle

populations have declined alarmingly.

Grizzly Bear

U rsus arctos

Threatened The grizzly bear has the reputation of

being the most ferocious and dangerous

mammal in North America. Grizzlies vary

widely in body shape, colour and in the shape of their heads. The tundra

grizzly is often creamy yellow on the back with brownish legs and

underparts. In the Rocky Mountains, the ³silver-tip´ phase is dominant.

Adults weigh from 136 to 526 kg and are prodigiously strong. Although grizzlies will, for the most part, avoid contact with humans, they

are sometimes unpredictable and should be given plenty of room. They



move with a slow shambling walk, the low-slung head swinging from side

to side. They can move very quickly, however, and even horses find it

difficult to evade a rushing grizzly.

This powerful animal once inhabited almost all of western North America

but, with the advent of the Europeans on a new continent , their numbers

were reduced. Now they are restricted chiefly to the Canadian Rockies

and Alaska.

Jaguar

P anthera onca

Endangered The Western Hemisphere's largest cat

has disappeared from much of its range,

which once extended from the southern

United States through Mexico, Central

and South America east of the Andes to Argentina.

Hunting and trapping for its highly prized fur, and loss of habitat to forest

clearing for farms, pastures, roads, and airstrips for mining and

exploration have all been factors in the animal's decline. It now survives

in non-developed areas south of southern Mexico, especially the

Amazon rain forest.

The jaguar is protected from illegal hunting and trade in skins, but law

enforcement in some areas is difficult. There is also protection in a few

national parks and on some large, private ranches, but it may not be

sufficient.





and buffalo, into a reduced habitat where they compete with the gorilla

for the same foods. Listed as an endangered species, the mountain gorilla has some

protection in a ban among most zoos against the acquisition of specimens

and in restrictive controls against internationa l trade.

Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus

Endangered

The largest creature ever known tohave existed on Earth is the present-

day blue whale. The largest dinosaur

attained a length of about 22 m and weighed about 36 tons. Today¶s

blue whale is even larger than its ancestors, and may reach a total length

of 33 m and a weight of 145 tons. This giant animal is placid and shy. On the ocean surface, its normal

cruising speed is about 12 knots, but it is capable of attaining 20 knots in

short bursts. The maximum reported depth reached by the species is 194

fathoms. It is capable of remaining submerged beneath the surface for 50

minutes, although 10 to 15 minutes is more typical. The life span of a

blue whale is about 30 years.

The calves measure 7 m at birth and weigh about 2 tons. By the time

they are a year old, the youngsters measure 18 m.

Blue whales comprised about 90 percent of the whaling industry¶s total

catch during the early part of this century. In 1931, more than 30,000 of

these majestic creatures were killed. Since then, the blue whale

population has declined and was on the brink of extinction. Today about

11,000 are suspected to exist.



Gorilla

G orilla gorilla

Endangered The gorilla is a shy and, for the most part,

inoffensive vegetarian -- a far cry from the

fearsome, aggressive creature depicted in

films and comic books. Only when provoked

or threatened does it rise to an erect position and beat its cupped hands

against its chest in an attempt to intimidate intruders. Gorillas are the

largest and most powerful of the apes. Adult males reach an average

height of 150-170 cm and weigh from 135 to 230 kg. Females are

smaller, but both male and female are tremendously powerful, possessing

the ability to tear branches from bushes and uproot small trees. They

spend their days quietly, either in a leisurely search for food, or resting in

the warm sun. Unfortunately, these animals, native to the equatorial regions of Africa,

are diminishing in number due, in part, to illegal hunting and advancingcivilization. Also, laws prohibiting, rather than just controlling, the capture

and sale of gorillas need to be passed and enforced in all countries within

the species¶ range.

Indian Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros unicornis

Endangered The biblical unicorn may have been

a wild ox, but the great Indian

rhinoceros is similar to a unicorn: it

has a single horn, usually about 53



cm long, and it is very hard to find, being among the rarest mammals in

the world today. The Rhino¶s horn is not a true horn, but consists of compressed hair, and

the animal prefers to defend itself with its canine teeth with which it can

make horrible gashes. Rhinos became extinct in America long ago, and

are becoming much scarcer in other parts of the world, but there are still

five species remaining: two in Africa and three in Asia. They are the

largest land mammals after the elephant and weigh from 1,800 to 3,600

kg.

The Indian rhino has well-developed incisor teeth and two long canine

teeth in its lower jaw. It is studded with knob-like tubercles and is unique

in having huge folds of skin at its joints and great rolls at the neck.

Together with the large, horny plates covering its body, the beast appears

to be armour plated. Threatened by continued loss of habitat and

poaching, conservation efforts are essential to ensure this creatures

survival. Conservation objectives include: the maintenance of a wild

population of at least 2,000 rhinos in at least six major sanctuaries in the

current range of the species; translocation of animals to create new

sanctuaries and populations; continued anti-poaching efforts;

maintenance of a captive population capable of long -term viability to

guard against any unforeseen extinction of the wild population; and

reduction in the demand for rhino products.



White Rhinoceros

C eratotherium simum

Endangered The white, or more properly, square-

lipped rhinoceros, once occurred

extensively in suitable grasslands

south of the Sahara. The name was

derived from the Afrikaans "wyt,"

describing the wide, square muzzle, suited to grazing on grass. The "black" rhinoceros has a narrow muzzle, with grasping lips, suited to

browsing on leafy foliage. Both animals are, however, greyish in colour.

Of the two races of square-lipped rhinoceros, only about 33 of the

northern form survive in national parks. In southern Africa the animal

came close to extinction in the late 1800s but responded

to conservation measures and increased greatly. Although legally

protected, the animals are threatened by loss of habitat due to the

expansion of settlement, and by poaching for rhino horn, which is prizedin some Asian countries for its supposed value as an aphrodisiac. The

black rhinoceros, although more abundant and more widely distributed, is

subject to the same pressures and is declining steadily.

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Extinct Endangered Species