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Endangered Species2

Endangered Species2 The balaenoptera musculus or better known as the blue whale is the largest animal in the world and might even be the largest in existence. The blue whale is found in the oceans, usually along the edges of continents and ice fronts. Blue whales are also usually found alone or in pairs. The biggest concentration of blue whales is located in the Pacific Ocean right along California where there are about 2,000 blue whales. The habitat of the blue whale would be the ocean, since they have been found in every ocean in the world. The blue whale's favorite food is krill, which is about three inches long. During the feeding season, the blue whale must eat up two to four tons of krill a day to survive. The blue whale eats mostly during the summer and moves to a warmer location in the winter. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the population of the blue whale's severely decreased because of whale hunting. Thanks to the invention of cannons, the blue whale became much easier to hunt. The main reason for the blue whales to be hunted was for the blubber. The population is now done to about 10,000 which was once about 200,000. Several U.S. and international agencies protect the blue whales from being hunted, such as: International Whaling Commission, U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973. Even with fifty years of protection, the blue whale population has yet to recover. Canis Lupus, also known as the Gray Wolf, is located in the wild in various states in America. Gray wolves also live in the deserts of Israel and Arctic of Siberia because they can easily adapt to climate extremes. Today, the wolves mostly live in Minnesota, where there are about 2,200. A wolf pack, or a group of wolves, usually consists of parents, their children, and other adults. Wolf packs usually live in a specific territory, which range in size from 50 to 1,000 square miles. The size of the territory depends on how much prey is available and the prey's movements. The wolf packs stick together and defend their territory from other types of wolves. Wolves are considered good hunters because of their ability to travel large areas quickly for prey. A wolf is able to run up to forty-five miles per hour. The gray wolf has been brought to the brink of extinction because in the early twentieth century, settlers believed that wolves caused livestock losses. Wolves began being targeted by hunters who were sponsored by the government. Bounty hunters were able to make $20 to $50 per wolf. No other animal in the U.S. has ever been hunted with so much determination like the gray wolf has. The wolves were finally protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. One action that has been taken to help the recovery of the gray wolf is that the wolves are being reintroduced to Arizona and New Mexico. The actions taken toward helping the recovery has been very successful. Credit of the gray wolf's comeback can be given to scientific research, conservation and management programs, and education efforts to increase understanding of the wolves. The trichechus manatus, better known as the Manatee, is found in coastal waters and rivers of the Atlantic and Caribbean regions in tropical and subtropical latitudes. Manatees are big mammals that live in aquatic environments and have round bodies in a shade of brown or gray. Manatees are also called sea cows because they brush against oceanic meadows. Instead of staying in ocean waters, the manatee prefers it's habitat to be located in low rivers, river mouths, bays, and coves. Manatees can adapt to oceanic and fresh water habitats. Most of the time manatees rest below the water surface and they come up occasionally to breathe. When the manatees migrate between winter and summer, they are able to cover a good distance because they only stop when the feeding conditions are favorable. The greatest threat to the manatees has been us humans. Our activities have forced the manatee population to greatly decline. Every year many manatees drown from being caught in fishing nets, crushed by floodgates, and injured by pollution in the water. The major cause of humans killing manatees is boating accidents. As a boat rides in the water, its propellers can kill the manatees swimming in it. In order to save the species, manatee protection zones have been made in which boats are restricted. Also research and public education on manatees are being introduced in places where manatees are located. Acinonyx jubatus, also known as a cheetah, is the world's fastest land mammal that is able to run speeds of sixty to seventy-five miles per hour. In the language of Hindu, cheetah means, "spotted one." The cheetah is located in the range from Africa to India. The cheetah is no longer located south of the Sahara in Africa. In the 1950's the population of cheetahs was about 30,000. Currently, the total population of the cheetah ranges from 5,000 to 12,000. The preferred habitat for the cheetah is a savanna and arid, open grasslands, which can be helpful to hunt prey. Cheetahs are successful in using bushland as a cover for stalking prey and hiding from predators. Cheetahs are able to climb trees and chase their prey for short sprints at high speeds. Their prey varies in size, from large (antelopes) to small (warthogs). The way the cheetah kills its prey varies also by throttling large prey and biting small prey. Two of the main reasons the cheetah is brought to the brink of extinction are hunting and habitat disruption. In most countries, the cheetah is protected, but sometimes farmers protecting their animals kill them. Other people that hunt cheetahs are out for their spotted skin, which can be profitable. Out of the two reasons, the loss of habitat is the most serious threat to the cheetah. When the habitat decreases, so does the prey for the cheetah. Genetic defects are also occurring with the cheetah because of a decreased gene pool. The prevention of hunting and captive breeding are actions that have been taken to save the cheetah. Captive breeding of the cheetah has been unsuccessful. Not even twenty-five percent of the adults bred more than once. The causes of the failure to breed the cheetah are being researched by organizations to try to save the cheetah. The panthera onca or better known as the jaguar is one of the largest living cats in the world and the largest in North and South America. Together with the lion, the jaguar is the most numerous of the great cats. The jaguar is able to swim, run, and climb trees. A jaguar's hunting territory differs between males and females. A male's is about four to seven square miles, and the female's is about eight to eighty square miles. The jaguar's habitat includes tropical and subtropical forests, open woodland, swamps, desert, savanna, and mangroves. The habitat the jaguar prefers to live in is a densely forested area where water is accessible. The jaguar is found in Mexico and Central and South America. In the Amazon rain forest lies the largest remaining population of jaguars. The jaguar has greatly declined and is now extinct over much of its former range. The major threat to the jaguar has been hunting. People hunt the jaguar for fun and its skin. Like the cheetah, the jaguar's skin can be very profitable. In the 1960's, spotted skins were in great demand and more and more jaguars were killed. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora helped protect the jaguar by preventing the trade of it's skin. As more and more humans make their home on the jaguar's habitat, the jaguar is most often killed by farmers who protect their farm animals. Just destroying the jaguar's habitat helps force a decrease in their population. Small populations of jaguars are protected in parks in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. The jaguar has also been able to bred successfully in private zoos. Canis rufus, also known as the red wolf, is smaller than the gray wolf, but larger than the coyote. Originally, the red wolf was located in the wild in the range from Pennsylvania to Texas. Just like the gray wolf, the red wolf was hunted by government sponsored control programs. By the 1930's, there were only two known populations of the red wolf. Red wolves are able to use several types of habitats in southeastern and eastern North America. The red wolf needs sufficient prey to survive, which include deer, nutria, rabbits, and rodents. Just like the gray wolves, the red wolves travel in packs. The red wolf pack is a little smaller than the gray wolves because they only consist of the parents and their children. Red wolves can be social with each other, but sometimes deaths do occur between wolves when they become aggressive. The circumstances that have brought the red wolf to the brink of extinction include the predator control programs, land clearing and different projects that destroyed it's habitat, and parasites. In 1973, a decision was made to remove the species from the wild and place them in a private place in order for them to breed. By 1980, all red wolves were place in private captivity. In 1987, red wolves were put back into the wild in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. This was the first time ever a carnivore was put back into the wild of it's former range where it was declared extinct. The recovery of red wolves has been quite successful considering there were only 14 red wolves capable of breeding in the beginning of captivity and now there are about 300 in the world. The leopardus pardalis, also known as the ocelot, is one of the most well known cats in the United States. The ocelot is a nocturnal cat, which can be considered a solitary animal, but they can also be seen in pairs. When the people go hunting for ocelots, they do it secretively and during the day in areas such as a dense brush. The ocelot hunts animals such as rabbits, rodents, monkeys, small turtles, frogs, crabs, and lizards. When an ocelot hunts for prey, they search on the ground. The ocelot is able to live in many different types of habitats. The habitats can range from a dense thornscrub, which can found in the Rio Grande Valley, to a tropical forest in the Amazon. The ocelot can also live in mountainous regions in Central America and the Andes. The main thing an ocelot needs in a habitat is a dense cover. The male and female ocelots inhabit themselves to different ranges. The male confines himself to a range of eighteen square miles, while the female confines herself to a range of eleven square miles. The threat of hunting and the loss of habitat have brought the ocelot to the brink of extinction. The ocelot is protected by the Lacey Act. Under the Lacey Act, it is illegal to transport, sell, receive, or purchase any wild animal that was taken in violation of the law. Ocelots are able to live close to humans, as long as there aren't many hunters around. The ocelots are also protected by the Recovery Plan for the Listed Cats of Arizona and Texas. The main objective of the plan is to maintain the ocelot population by furthering study of ocelots in the wild and to start an education program in order to get the public to support the effort. The alluropoda melanoleuca, also known as the giant panda, is one of the most loved animals in the world. The giant panda is easily recognized by its huge head, round ears, and black and white fur. The giant panda is very slow moving and only runs if it is in danger. Since the giant panda lives dense bamboo, their jaws, throat, and stomach have been adapted for eating bamboo. The giant panda has existed for about 600,000 years, but is now considered endangered. Giant pandas can only be found in the mountains of China. The giant panda lives in areas of dense bamboo and damp coniferous forests with elevations from four thousand to eleven thousand feet. They live in a very small area of about one to three square miles. The giant panda is unable to hibernate because the bamboo they eat does not have enough fat and calories to support them through the winter. In order for the giant panda to survive, it must eat twenty to forty pounds of food a day. Habitat destruction and hunting of the giant panda are the two main reasons why the species is on the brink of extinction. People hunt the giant panda because their fur is worth a lot of money on the black market. In order to save the species, the Chinese government has set aside some land where bamboo is located for the giant pandas to live. A person who kills a giant panda could be given a life sentence or even the death penalty. The giant panda is also protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Under this treaty, no giant panda can be illegally traded between countries. The panthera tigris altaica, better known as the Siberian tiger, is the largest living cat in the world. The Siberian tiger has the reputation of being a vicious killer because it spends most of its time hunting. Tigers usually hunt deer, wild pigs, or whatever they can catch. Tigers are well equipped for hunting because of their keen eyesight and great sense of smell. The color of the tiger is lighter than a Bengal's with brown, narrow stripes. In the past century, the Siberian tiger has overcome four wars, two revolutions, and the destruction of its habitat, the forests. The Siberian tiger is located primarily in eastern Russia. Some tigers are found in China and North Korea. The Siberian tiger is also able to live in the cold climate of Northeast Asia because of its large size and extra thick, long coat. A male tiger's territory can cover up to twenty-five square miles, while a female's territory can cover about ten square miles. There are only about 150-200 Siberian tigers remaining in the wild. About five hundred Siberian tigers are kept captive and managed in private zoos. Like most endangered species, the Siberian tiger was brought to the brink of extinction by destruction of their habitat and hunters. Tigers were mainly hunted for their body parts for traditional Chinese medicine and for material things, such as rugs and coats. Siberian tigers got legal protection in 1992 when the Law of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection and Management of 1992 came out. The Siberian tiger is also protected under CITES, which is an agreement among over one hundred countries to stop illegal trade in animals and plants. Right now, the only place in the wild with enough Siberian tigers to keep the species going is Russia. The uncia uncia, also known as the snow leopard, can be found in the wild in Central Asia. The snow leopard is easily able to adapt to cold weather because of its strong chest muscles, which can be used for climbing, its large and padded forepaws, which can be used for walking in the snow, and its large coat. Just like tigers, snow leopards are solitary animals that associate only when they mate. The snow leopard is recognized by its coat, which is long and gray and has spots all over its body. The snow leopard habitat is located in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, along the Karakorum and Pamir ranges. The habitat can also be found in the Tien Shan, Altai, and Sayan mountain ranges. The snow leopard is sparsely located throughout these ranges. The snow leopard can also be seen in arid and semi-arid habitats. The preferred prey for the snow leopard is the bharal, but can also include marmots, musk deer, and livestock. Like many other animals, the snow leopard is hunted for its coat. The protection under CITES has helped decrease the demand for leopard skin, but leopards are still hunted and sold on the black market. Enforcement of the law is tough because of the location of the snow leopard's habitat. The primary cause of endangerment for the snow leopard is the expansion of human disturbance on its habitat. As more and more habitats are destroyed and developed for livestock grazing, more and more prey become unavailable for the snow leopard. The survival of the snow leopard depends on the preservation of habitat large enough to support their prey and on improvement of living standards of humans. Bibliography:

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