Endangered Means Theres Still Time

Endangered species are like fire alarms.

They tell us about problems in our home we call Earth. If we listen to their alarm calls, they could help us improve our lives and the health of our planet.

Endangered Means Theres Still Time

Endangered species show us that our world may not be as healthy

as we think.

The Endangered Species Preservation Act was passed in 1966. This act was replaced in 1969 with the Endangered Species Conservation Act, which acted to strengthen the legislation. Finally, in 1973, the Endangered Species Act was passed. This act was recently reauthorized.

Stages of Species Extinction

When a species is likely to become endangered, it is called a threatened species. When a species is in danger of extinction, it is called an endangered species.

When a species is no longer existing or living, it is called being extinct.

Endangered Animals Numbers

Currently, there are over: 342 mammals; 271 birds; 115 reptiles; 30 amphibians; 125 fish; 48 insects; 21 crustaceans; that are endangered in the world today.

Endangered Plants Numbers

Currently, there are over: 714 flowering plants; 5 kinds of conifers and cycads; 26 kinds of ferns;

2 kinds of lichens;
that are endangered in the world today.

Number by state of Endangered or Threatened Species

Natural Causes Hunting Introduced Predators Non-predatory

Causes of Extinction:

Exotics Habitat Modification

Natural Causes
Extinction is a natural biological process, based on fossil record birds typically have a species lifespan of 2 million years and mammals about 600,000 years.

Hunting
Unwise and unregulated hunting has contributed to the extinction of some species; Passenger Pigeon, Whales, Spotted cats, rhinos.

 Exotic species often out-compete native

Introduced Predators

species (Mongoose was introduced to control rats) native species in the San Joaquin Delta and what is the Fish and Wildlife Service doing about it?

What invasive species threatens the survival of

How was this species introduced? Are there any other potential harmful effects, other

than competition with native species?

 Agents of competition and disease

Goats in Hawaii,

Non-predatory Exotics

Starlings out compete many song birds,

Sitka deer in central Texas out-compete

White-tails.

Causes of Species Extinction

Causes include: Habitat Destruction; Collection and hunting; Overexploitation; Disease; Pollution; Other Factors.

Why Should We Save This Species?

They serve medicinal purposes;
They serve agricultural purposes; These animals are very important to the ecology of earth;

Many species are raised for commercial purposes;

These animals also serve recreational purposes; And one last reason. A Moral obligation to the people that depend on those species and Future generations.

Why Should We Save This Species?

If we dont help to save these animals, they will soon die out, and then theyd be gone forever, leaving future generations without the chance to get to see and learn about all these creatures.

Endangered Animals

Iberian Lynx
Common name: Iberian Lynx Geographical Distribution: Portugal and Spain. Natural Habitat: woods and Mediterranean bush Feeding habits: Feeds almost exclusively of wild rabbits, however, it's diet can be supplemented with rodents, birds pups and cervids. Size: Length: 80 cm to 110 cm, more tail 11-13 cm. Weight: 10 kg to 13 kg. Gestation Period: Varies between 63 and 74 days. Number of pups: 1-4 Average life time: Live a maximum of 13 years. Conservation status of species: The Iberian lynx is currently considered the most endangered feline in the world. The main threats to their survival are accentuated regression of wild rabbit and Mediterranean habitat destruction.

Iberian Wolf
Common name: Iberian Wolf Geographic distribution: North of the Iberian Peninsula. Natural Habitat: Forests. Feeding habits: The main wild prey of the wolf is the wild boar, roe buck and deer, domestic prey are and the most common sheep, goat, horse and cow. Also occasionally kill and eat dogs and leverages that finds corpses. Size: Length: 1.10 m to 1.40 m; more tail 30-45 cm. Weight: Males: 30 to 40 kg, females: 25 to 35 kg. Gestation period: approximately 2 months. Number of pups: 3-8 Average life time: Live a maximum of 15 years. Conservation status of species: The causes of the decline of the wolf are its direct persecution and extermination of their wild prey. The decline is now worse by the fragmentation and destruction of habitat and by the increased number of stray dogs / feral.

Otter
Common name: Otter Geographic distribution: Live in Europe, Asia, the southern part of North America and along the entire South America, including Brazil and Argentina. Natural Habitat: Associated wetlands, lives in continental waters such as rivers, streams, swamps, ponds and lakes, brackish water like estuaries, but also in some parts of the coastline marine Feeding habits: Has a diet mainly consisting on fish but they can include crustaceans, amphibians, birds and some mammals according to their availability and abundance in the middle. Size: Length: 60 cm to 90 cm, more tail 35-47 cm. Weight: 6 kg to 10 kg.

Otter
Gestation Period: Approximately 2 months. Number of pups: The brood may have between 1 to 5 pups, 2-3 being the most usual. Average life time: Lives between 6-8 years. Conservation status of species : Classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Among the various factors that put the species endangered include: pollution and destruction of aquatic and riparian environments, the use of pesticides in agriculture affecting the water quality of rivers, roadkill and direct persecution by man due to the competition for the fish. There is still reckon with the fact that their skin has a high value in the textile sector.

Brown Bear
Common name: Brown Bear Geographic distribution: North America, Asia and Europe. Natural Habitat: Can be found in dense forests, subalpine meadows and arctic tundra. Food Habits: Omnivore. Eat honey, fruits, insects, small animals and fish. Rarely hunts deer, elk and other animals. Size: Length: 1 m to 2.80 m. Weight: 80 kg to 600 kg. Gestation period: Varies from 180 to 266 days. Number of pups: 2 or 3 Average life time: 20 to 30 years. Conservation status of species: The species is threatened, Among the Various Factors That put the species endangered are, the destruction of their natural habitat and pollution.

Jaguar
Common name: Jaguar Geographical Distribution: Today is officially extinct in the United States. It is very rare in Mexico, but can still be found in Latin America, including Brazil. Natural habitat: forests like the Amazon and Atlantic forest, and open environments such as the Pantanal and Savannah. Feeding habits: Deer, monkeys, tapirs, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, small rodents, domestic animals. The Jaguar can survive by feeding on any animal, from herbivorous insects up. Size: Length (including tail): 160 cm to 260 cm Height: 68 cm to 76 cm. Weight: can reach 135 kg. Gestation period: The gestation is 93 to 105 days. Number of pups: 1 or 2 Average life time: 20 years Conservation status of species: habitat destruction coupled with predatory hunting, mainly due to the alleged economic damage caused to the domestic animal creations, makes populations have been drastically reduced. The species is classified as vulnerable.

Sea Turtle
Common name: Sea Turtle Geographical Distribution: Warm and temperate waters over the world. Natural habitat: warm and temperate waters over the world. Feeding habits: The turtle feeds of molluscs, algae, crustaceans and meat. Size: Length: can reach 2 meters. Weight: can reach 500 kg. Gestation period: 3 months, after this period the eggs outbreak. Number of pups: From 1 to 2 hundred eggs at a time. Average life time: About 180 years. Conservation status of species: The pollution, the fishing nets where they get trapped and their eggs searching for Asian cuisine have significantly reduced this species.

Toucan
Common name: Toucan Geographic distribution: North and Central South America Natural habitat: Tropical Forests. Feeding habits: It is an omnivorous species, feeding of animals and plants. It mainly eats fruit, insects, eggs of other birds and the pups of these. Is with the beak, too, that the toucan catch small lizards and geckos to supplement their eating. Size: Measures between 55 and 61 cm in length. Weight: 530 g from 550 g Gestation Period: Eggs overbreak after 18 days of incubation. Number of pups: 2-4 eggs. Average life time: 15 years. Conservation status of species: It has its existence threatened in their natural habitat, the Amazon jungle, but the Brazilian government's efforts already show an increase in the number of these birds. Although it is already extinct in the federal state of Sao Paulo.

n Gorilla
Common name: Mountain Gorilla Geographical Distribution: East of Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda, at altitudes between 1600 m and 4000 m. Natural habitat: tropical secondary forests. Food Habits: Gorillas are mainly herbivorous animals, feeding on sheets and scion. Size: Male: average height of 1.70 meters; Female: average height of 1.50 meters. Weight: Male: 160 kg; Female: 90 kg (in freedom). Gestation Period: 250-270 days Number of pups: 1, rare twins Average life time: 35 years Conservation status of species: This species is endangered due to hunting and destruction of their natural habitat.

African Elephant
Common name: African Elephant Geographical Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa Natural habitat: tropical forests and savannas. Eating habits: is herbivorous. Feeds of about 300 kg daily of plants. The elephant consumes about 200 liters of water a day and moves according to the abundance or scarcity of food. Size: 7 or 8 meters of length and 4 meters of height. Weight: about 7500 kg. Gestation Period: 22 months. Number of pups: 1 Average life time: 70 years. Conservation status of species: The hunting of elephants, mainly caused by their ivory - very popular in China and India, significantly reduced the populations of African elephants. Currently, the African elephant is an endangered species and have been taken measures to protect this species.

Giant Panda
Common name: Giant Panda Geographical Distribution: Southern China and Tibet. Natural Habitat: Forests of bamboo of the mountainous region of China, at altitudes from 1500 to 3000 meters. Food habits: They feed almost exclusively on tender foliage and bamboo buds. Size: up to 1.50 m. Weight: up to 160 kg. Gestation Period: 7-9 months. Number of pups: 2 Average life time: The average life of pandas is 10 to 15 years in its wild habitat and up to 30 years in captivity. Conservation status of species: The devastation of forests in Asia, the slow reproduction of bamboo (base of the eating Panda), the excess of bureaucracy, inefficiency and voracious hunting put the panda under serious risk of extinction. Making more difficult to preserve the species, its ability to procreate is minimal.

Tiger
Common name: Tiger Geographic distribution: India, Manchuria, China and Indonesia. Can still be found in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran Natural habitat: The original habitat of the tiger was Siberia. It spread across the frozen steppes, forests, wetlands and woodlands. Feeding habits: Because of the wide geographical distribution, the tiger alimentation is very varied. Usually eats deer and other herbivores, but when these are missing, they can eat the bears in Siberia, and bovine animals in India and Indonesia. Size: Length: 1.42 m to 2.60 m. More tail that can reach 1 m. Height: 90 cm to 100 cm. Weight: 130 kg to 320 kg.

Tiger
Gestation Period: 100 to 108 days. Number of pups: 1-4 Average life time: The average life time of a tiger is 20 years. In general, the males live less than females. Conservation status of species: The species is endangered and is now a protected species.

Koala Common name: Koala

Geographical Distribution: Northeast and Southeast of Australia Natural habitat: Eucalyptus Plantations Feeding habits: Eucalyptus Leaves Size: The length can vary between 60 cm to 80 cm. Weight: Can vary between 7 kg to 12 kg. Gestation Period: 35 days. Number of pups: 1 Average life time: 17 years. Conservation status of species: These marsupials are in the process of extinction that began with the British colonization in Australia where the cult emerged to hunt and kill Koalas to use their skin. Today, hunting is not the biggest risk faced by Koalas who are killed by fires in forests and lack of trees that are cut by woodcutters. By losing their home and food, Koalas eventually move to the cities where they are killed, run over on roads or dogs.

Platypus
Common name: Platypus Geographical Distribution: Eastern Section of the island of Australia and Tasmania. Natural Habitat: Rivers and freshwater lakes, and underground tunnels dug in the ground. Feeding habits: The platypus is a carnivore and feeds on insects, worms and freshwater crustaceans. Size: 40 cm, more 13 cm of tail. Weight: Arrives to weigh a maximum of 4 kg. Period: Gestation The platypus is the only mammal that puts eggs. The incubation period of the eggs is 10 days. Number of pups: 2 or 3 eggs in each brood. Average life time: 15 years Conservation status of species: Pollution of rivers and lakes has destroyed significantly the population of platypuses.

Endangered Plants

Holly
Common name: Holly. Description: is a shrub of leaf (botany) Aquifoliaceae of family of persistent, often cultivated for ornamental purposes because of its red berries. These fruits also are called holly or berries. Size: The common holly is a very slow-growing shrub, reaching in adult 4 to 6 meters of height. Some feet arrive to form trees authentic. Average life time: It can live 100 years or more. Geographical Distribution: Native in almost all Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia Conservation Status of species: Holly is a rare autochthonous specie, which faces a serious threat of extinction, so it is totally forbidden to harvest. The main cause of their disappearance is due to excessive demand for ornamental purposes during the Christmas court.

Four-Leave-Clover
Common name: Four-Leave-Clover. Description: Is a fetus semi-aquatic which resembles a clover, with leaves composed of four leaflets. Size: Can reach a little more than 15 cm Average life time: The Clover productive life is up to 4 years. Geographical Distribution: Inhabits places, periodically or permanently, flooded, river banks indentations or river where the water velocity is moderate. Conservation status of species: It is in critical danger of extinction.