Close to extinction/ Endangered Species in the Wild
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Close to Extinction: 35 Critically Endangered Animals Maria Vicenta B Galvez-Evangelista, SST1 DepEd-Zamboanga National High School West Zamboanga City, Philippines
Close to extinction/ Endangered Species in the Wild
1. Maria Vicenta B Galvez-Evangelista, SST1 DepEd-Zamboanga
National High School West Zamboanga City, Philippines
2. White rhino Residing on this planet for the past 15 million
years, a mere five specimens of the animal are left today from a
high of more than 2,000 in 1960. Of the five, only one is a male
rhino, who is now under 24X7 armed watch and living along with two
other female rhinos at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki,
Kenya.
3. Sumatran tiger With a population of less than 400, the
Sumatran tigers are the smallest surviving tiger subspecies; they
are found in the patches of forest on the Sumatra Island. Rampant
deforestation and poaching have made the tigers' future look
bleak.
4. Vaquita One of the rarest marine mammals, vaquitas are often
caught and drowned in gillnets used for illegal fishing operations
in Mexico's Gulf of California. They have large dark rings around
their eyes and dark patches on their lips. Today, less than 100
specimens of the animal are left behind.
5. Western lowland gorilla The most widespread of all gorilla
subspecies in the Congo Basin, their numbers have rapidly decreased
by as much as 60% in the last 20-25 years due to poaching and
disease.
6. Amur leopard Found in the Russian Far East, Amur leopards
are solitary hunters. Nimble-footed and strong, they carry and hide
unfinished kills so as not to attract other predators. Habitat
degradation due to rampant human activities is threatening their
existence. Currently, a mere 60 members of its family survive.
7. Javan rhino The Javan rhino is dusky grey in color and has a
single horn of up to about 10 inches. Their skin has a number of
loose folds, giving the appearance of armour plating. Habitat loss
and poaching have drastically reduced their numbers over the years.
Not more than 35 Javan rhinos are currently roaming on the surface
of the planet.
8. Sumatran elephant Feeding on a variety of plants and
depositing seeds wherever they go, Sumatran elephants contribute to
a healthy forest ecosystem. Civil conflicts, hunting and poaching
for tusks have reduced their population to a mere 2,400 to
2,800.
9. Saola Saola was discovered in Vietnam in 1992, after the
recovery of a skull with unusually long horns at a hunter's home.
The discovery has been one of the most spectacular zoological
discoveries of the 20th century. Hunting, poaching, habitat
fragmentation and snares threaten their existence though.
10. Hawksbill turtle Found throughout the worlds tropical
oceans, hawksbill turtles have inhabited the planet for over 100
million years. A vital link in marine ecosystems, they help
maintain the health of coral reefs and seagrass beds. They are
extensively poached for their coloured and patterned shells, which
are sold in the market at high prices as "tortoiseshells."
11. South China tiger These tigers were hunted in thousands
before a ban by the Chinese government in 1979. A group of 30 to 80
tigers were last sighted in 1996, prompting scientists to consider
the animal as 'functionally extinct.'
12. Cross river gorilla Very similar in appearance to the more
numerous western lowland gorilla (pictured), the small population
of cross river gorillas living in the Congo Basin faces an acute
problem of habitat loss and poachingresulting in a severe dip in
its population. The Congo Basin is left with not more than 200 to
300 cross river gorillas currently.
13. Pangolin They are known for their protective body armour
made of scales. Eight species of pangolins are currently found in
Asia and Africa, of which, two have been listed as critically
endangered. They are being increasingly killed for their flesh and
scales.
14. Mountain gorilla Found in forests high in the mountains of
the Congo basin, mountain gorillas have thicker fur as compared to
the other great apes. Ongoing civil conflict, loss of habitat and
poaching are threats to their population, which currently stands at
a meagre 880.
15. Yangtze finless porpoise Known for their mischievous smile
and an intelligence level comparable to that of gorillas, human
activities and pollution pose serious threats to the remaining
1,000 to 1,800 members of this aquatic marvel.
16. Black rhino One of the oldest mammals walking on Earth,
black rhinos are virtually living fossils. Once found extensively
along the East Coast of Africa, rampant hunting and poaching have
made their numbers dwindle over the last few decades. Today, not
more than 4,848 rhinos survive.
17. Sumatran orangutan The Sumatran orangutans are fruit eaters
and play a vital role in the dispersal of seeds over a huge area.
Once found across the Sumatran island, poaching and illegal pet
trade have reduced their population to pockets in the island's
northern part now.
18. Sumatran rhino In the last 15 years, only two captive
female Sumatran rhinos have given birth. There are three known
subspecies: while two of them are found in the islands of Sumatra
and Borneo, the third is believed to be extinct. Poaching poses the
greatest threat to these animals.
19. Leatherback turtle The largest sea turtle species are
migratory in nature, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Though globally leatherback turtles are listed as vulnerable,
certain subspecies are critically endangered due to intense egg
collection and fisheries bycatch.
20. Guam rail These flightless birds once inhabited the Guam
Island in large numbers before the island was invaded by brown tree
snakes that led to their predation and subsequent plummeting of
their number. Today, they are confined to a captive-breeding
facility in Guam and across 14 zoos in the USA. In the last couple
of decades, efforts have been made to release small batches of
rails in controlled environment to help promote their breeding in
the wild.
21. Boni giant sengi The giant sengis are found in two coastal
habitats on the south-eastern edge of Kenya. While one of the
habitats registered a decrease of 30% in their population, the
other region showed a marginal increase in the numbers.
Fragmentation of habitat poses a major threat to their
existence.
22. Northern bald ibis A mere 200 to 249 adult specimens of the
bird are left confined to certain regions of Morocco and parts of
Syria. Though the birds have been marked as critically endangered,
they have shown significant increase in their numbers in the last
few years.
23. Mountain pygmy possum These mammals, found in alpine and
subalpine boulderfields and rocky scree in south-eastern Australia,
were designated as extinct till 1896. However, the rediscovery of a
single living specimen in a ski club lodge on Mount Hotham,
Victoria, in 1966, revived the hope of their survival. At present,
there are only three known populations, with a total population of
less than 2,600. Destruction of their habitat is the major reason
for their dwindling numbers.
24. Northern hairy-nosed wombat Indigenously Australian, these
shy animals had completely disappeared in the early 20th century,
after the loss of their only two known habitats in southern
Queensland and in New South Wales. Later, in the 1930s, a small
population was spotted in Epping Forest National Park in
Queensland. According to a 2010 census, 163 wombats are said to
have survived after efforts were made to protect its habitat.
(Pictured) Athlete Jana Pittman (L) and a zookeeper pose with a
wombat during a fundraising event to save the northern hairy-nosed
wombats at the Australian Museum in Sydney, Australia, on November
17, 2004.
25. African elephants The once abundantly found animal
witnessed a rapid deterioration in its population in the last few
decades due to trophy hunting and poaching, with some regions
losing 80% of their herds. In Kenya alone, their population
decreased by as much as 85% between 1973 and 1989. Today, though
over 300,000 elephants can be found in sub-regions of South Africa,
the numbers are not enough to put these giants of animals out of
the danger list.
26. Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog The deadly chytrid fungus
resulted in the extinction of the entire species of the animal,
barring one. The loneliest animal in the world is currently
residing in the Atlanta Botanical Garden zoo in Georgia, USA.
27. Black-footed ferret A concentrated effort by several NGOs
and animal conservation organisations has provided a new lease of
life to the black-footed ferret, once considered to be extinct in
the wild. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 ferrets present across
the North American grasslands. Habitat loss and disease are the key
threats to their population.
28. Pygmy three-toed sloth They are known to be the slowest
animals in the worldso slow that algae grows on their back giving
them a natural cover from predators. Found only in Isla Escudo de
Veraguas, an isolated Panamanian island in the Caribbean, their
numbers have dwindled due to destruction of habitat.
29. White antelope Also known as Addax antelope, these animals
thrived in the extreme climate of the Sahara desert for thousands
of years. However, destruction of habitat and their frenzied
hunting by modern weapons have forced its population to the verge
of extinction. Currently, not more than 200 specimens of the animal
remain in the wild.
30. Philippine crocodile This freshwater species is on the
verge of extinction due to habitat destruction, hunting and
dynamite fishing. Only a handful of these animals survive in the
wild presently and aggressive conservation efforts are on to
protect them from going extinct.
31. Pygmytarsier After its last sighting in1921, three
specimens of pygmytarsier were rediscovered 85years later in
2008.
32. Angel shark They are commonly found in the eastern Pacific
shores from Alaska to Chile. From 1977 to 1984, there was a mammoth
increase in the commercial fishing activity of this species in
California, USA, alonedramatically reducing their numbers to a few
thousands, so much so that the animal has been designated as
extinct in several of their former habitats.
33. Lord Howe Island stick insect Commonly referred to as "land
lobster," this nocturnal insect was primarily found in Lord Howe
Island in the Tasman Sea. However, in 1918, the introduction of
black rats by a ship that had run aground near the island led to
the insects' massive predation and has dwindled their number to not
more than 30 specimens at present.
34. Przewalski's horse The lastsurviving subspecies ofwild
horse,theyoncefreely roamedthesteppealongthe Mongolia-China
border.Subsequentcapturingbyhumanbeings
andinterbreedingwithdomesticatedhorsesmade their numbersplummet in
thewild.Today,onlyabout250of theremaining 1,500
Przewalski'shorsesare foundin thewild.
35. Hula painted frog On November15, 2011,a park rangerinIsrael
found one specimen of the Hula painted frog, considered extinct
since the 1950s;a few days later, the discovery of a second
specimen revived the hopes of its survival. Present in abundancein
the1950s,the population declined due to loss of habitat after
drainingof the 15,000-acreLakeHula to makeway for agricultural
land.
36. PintaIsland tortoise In June 2012,the lastsurviving member
ofthe PintaIsland tortoisecommunity,famouslyknownas LonesomeGeorge,
died.However, recent genetic
evidencefoundbyresearchersaroundEucadors GalpagosIslands
haveraisedhopethatatleastone specimen ofthe species couldbestill
alive and breeding.