extinct endangered species
TRANSCRIPT
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 1/8
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.
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 2/8
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
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 3/8
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.
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 4/8
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 5/8
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.
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 6/8
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
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 7/8
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.
8/8/2019 Extinct Endangered Species
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/extinct-endangered-species 8/8
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.