Endangered and extinct species- Animals

ENDANGERED AND EXTINCT SPECIES - ANIMALS

Among the 41,415 species listed in the IUCN Red List, 16,036 are on the verge of peril including both animals and plants. The extinction rate formulated by the fossil record is one species per every one million species per annum. All these records are warning us and it’s high time to stand up against all the hazardous exertions against nature and its attributes. So, this article aims at presenting the endangered and extinct species-animals, thus making you aware of the importance of each and every species in this world.

How many animals are extinct?

The scientific thesis of  English naturalist, Charles Darwin named ‘ Origin of the Species by Natural Selection' highlighted that the fittest of the species will survive. Due to changes in climate, temperature, the commencement of Ice Age, or the clash of an asteroid, giant dinosaurs vanished from the earth. This happened 65 million years ago, but the modern age since 1600 saw the disappearance of more than 200 species of mammals and birds. And, now the drastic climate change and the intrusion of humans into forest lands are depriving the birds and animals of their habitats.

Animals extinction due to hunting

 Animal species will become extinct due to the hunting by man. The Great Auk, a flightless bird was so tirelessly killed for food and they got vanished by 1844 and the South African zebra, Quagga was too slaughtered for their skin and meat, hence they also became extinct. American Bison, which soared over the terrains of the US almost got exterminated but due to timely conservation helped them to survive. In certain Western countries, excess exploitation or hunting may result in confinement as it is an obvious truth that, man can survive without causing harm to animals and birds.

There are a lot of animals that fall under the endangered and extinct species-animals list :

Dodo and Echo Parakeet

Dodo was a fleshy flightless bird that was profusely found on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The discovery of this island by the Dutch Sailors was a mishap for dodos as they were killed for food and even pickled them to take back to the homeland. Sadly, the dodo chicks and their nests were also preyed on by the pigs, rats, dogs, cats that were brought by these sailors.

The echo parakeet was the most endangered species which was a small family of the parrot family living on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. This species is now extinct.

Big cats and Sea creatures

The list of endangered big cats includes mountain lions, tigers, snow leopards, jaguars, clouded leopards, Iriomote cats, cheetahs, etc. Among these, the ocelots were hunted for their attractive skin and for sport. Mountain lions were also exterminated due to the loss of their habitats that were dilapidated by the intruders.

Sea creatures like turtles, seals, whales, dolphins sharks, manatees, cetaceans, and coral are the ones standing on the verge of annihilation. The exorbitant pollution in the Mediterranean Sea is abolishing the lives of green sea turtles and monk seals out there.

Giant panda and Rhinoceros

Bamboos are the common food of Giant pandas and they are now starving to death due to the shortage of bamboo plants. Bamboo dies soon after flowering and hence, if the whole bamboos in the forest are flowering at the same time, all the pandas living there would starve. Also, the intrusion of humans into their habitats and hunting are also exterminating them.

The horns of rhinoceros are used to make handles for curved daggers of people in North Yemen and their horns are also supposed to have medical properties that intensified the fatality. In fact, their horns are made up of a protein, Keratin that is the same substance in our nails and hair. These torments made the count of rhinoceros get limit in 1000s all over the world.

Asian elephants and Sumatran elephants

Asian elephants roaming throughout Southeast Asia played an important role in our lives as they are sociable animals. But they are endangered due to various reasons like poaching, hunting for their husks, abusing for inhumane entertainments, trading in ivory, etc.

Sumatran elephants are a subspecies of Asian elephants and they are native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They also play a pivotal role in the balancing of forest ecosystems however, they became endangered by 2011 due to habitat loss and conflicts with humans that ultimately led to the death of these creatures.

Galapagos penguin and Indian vulture

Galapagos penguins, the only penguin species that were seen in the north of the equator, and in the Galapagos are said to be endangered. Their population is shrinking even though they have gotten special adaptation to survive in warmer climates. The obvious threats are the pollution caused by chemicals and oil in water, abrupt climate change and fishing, etc.

The population of vulture species is declining particularly, Indian vultures that are seen in the terrains of India, Pakistan, and Nepal. The presence of diclofenac, a drug used to treat cattle caused this endangerment with a population of around 30,000 that commenced since the 1990s. Even, their existence is threatening they are involved much in the food chain by preventing the spread of poisonous fungus and bacteria in water and soil.

Let’s conserve all these species and the now existing creatures like our dearest ones with love and affection.