Endangered Species

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Environmental Factors

Natural Features & Ecosystems

                                                  Endangered and Cold-Blooded 
     
           Amphibians are special four-legged vertebrates that can survive on land as well as in water. They are cold blooded and take on the temperature of environment. Born with gills, these creatures develop lungs on maturity, and the most amazing part is that they can breathe through their thin skin. However, the number of amphibians have reduced considerably over the past few years. The extinction of amphibians in certain local areas is of great concern because this directly affects global biodiversity. Their extinction can directly or indirectly affect the lives of other animal species as well. The exact reason for amphibian extinction is not known.
             However, the factors that have spearheaded their extinction are brought about by humans. Destruction and modification of their habitats (rapid urbanization), depletion of the ozone layer, increasing levels of environment pollution, change in global temperature, etc., brought about by man has caused the amphibian number to decline. Besides man-made reasons, certain natural reasons such as diseases and introduction of new species to their environment has also contributed to the depletion of these amphibians. Today, one third of the approximately 6000 amphibian species comes under the endangered animals category and are on the verge of facing extinction. Some of the different endangered amphibians are as follows: Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum) This salamander species was placed on the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Species in 1997 It is a very rare species residing in the environs of Barton Springs in Austin, Texas. This salamander is adapted to the warm waters of the Barton Springs.
                 However, since scores of people use the Barton Springs for swimming, the natural environment of the salamanders is degrading. Urbanization has caused the Barton Springs to become polluted, and at the rate it is continuing soon there won't be any Barton Springs Salamanders left. Blanchard's cricket frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) This tiny, non-climbing member of the tree frog family were found commonly dwelling in the ponds of southwestern Wisconsin prior to 1970. However, during the 1980s their population rates reduced rapidly and scientists were shocked to find that cricket frogs had disappeared completely from certain areas where they were found abundantly. According to a survey conducted a decade later (1991), it was found that out of 40 cricket frog resident places, only 19 housed cricket frogs. It is believed that these cricket frogs cannot survive in polluted water which is the main reason for their decline. They were put on the Wisconsin Endangered Species List in 1982 .
                Houston Toad (Bufo houstonensis) Houston Toad, discovered in the late 1940s lives exclusively in the pine or oak forests. These toads are found mostly in Bastrop County, Texas after they were completely eradicated from the Houston area in the 1960s. This toad was federally listed as an endangered species in 1970, and the most immediate reason for its decline is habitat loss, however, factors such as pesticides, automobiles, predators and drought are also some of the other reasons. Bastrop State Park, the only public land that supports large number of Houston Toads reveals that their numbers are declining very rapidly. However, the Environmental Defense has enrolled three land owners in Bastrop to restore and protect the Houston Toad's habitat. California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense) California Tiger Salamander, a native of Northern California is a large and secretive amphibian.
                Historically, this species ranges from Sonoma County (near Santa Rosa) to Santa Barbara County (near Lompoc). They depend on vernal pools for reproduction and dwell mostly in large fish-less vernal pools or water bodies. The population of these salamanders is known to have reduced by 50% of its historic range. In 2004, the California Tiger Salamander was listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened. However, they were returned to the endangered category in 2005. Habitat destruction by human interaction and interference has resulted in the depletion of this salamander species. Sierra Nevada Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana muscosa) Natives of Sierra Nevada Mountains, these frogs love mountain creeks and lakes, especially isolated pools, sunny river banks, streams and lake borders.
                     Once upon a time these frogs were very abundant in the Sierra Alpine Lake, with scores of them running all over the place. However, today 93% of this frog population has disappeared. One reason is the introduction of non-native trout by the California Department of Fish and Game to the high Sierra lakes. Since these frogs were adapted to high elevation habitats in the absence of aquatic predators, they were not adapted to fight predators. The trout feed on these tadpoles and juvenile frogs, and if this continues, soon these mountain yellow frogs will disappear forever. Though this species is nearing extinction, the US Fish and Wildlife Service is refusing to place this species under the endangered species list and protect it. The Center for Biological Diversity is continuously trying to get the US Fish and Wildlife Service to place this species under the endangered category. Several ecologists believe that their decline may have severe implications on the world's environment. Since amphibians possess highly permeable skin, and because they spend their lives both in water and on land, they are highly sensitive to environmental changes. Their health indirectly indicates the health of the ecosystem.
                 As their numbers decline, ecologists are wondering which other animal species will follow them to extinction. Amphibian population is declining rapidly and if we don't do anything about it, they will soon disappear from our planet altogether.

                     

   We Will Protect Them

          Facts About Endangered Animals While thousands of animals are considered endangered or critically endangered as of today, only 10 percent of these species - the tiger and the panda being the best examples of the same, are identified as threatened and given legal protection. Even though seriously threatened, several others don't even make it to the endangered animals list. More than 1,000 animal species are considered endangered at all levels all over the world. Approximately, 20 percent of the mammalian species on the planet are fighting for their very existence on the planet. More of such staggering endangered animals facts, which stress on statistical data, are given below. The tiger (Panthera tigris) population in the wild is estimated to be somewhere between 3,000-4,000 individuals. Further breakup reveals that there are less than 2,000 Bengal tigers (Pantera tigris tigris), around 1,200 to 1,800 Indochinese tigers (Pantera tigris corbetti), 600-800 Malayan tigers (Pantera tigris jacksoni), 400-800 Sumatran tigers (Pantera tigris sumatrae) and somewhere between 450-500 Siberian tigers (Pantera tigris alataica) in the wild. Yet another species, the South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is believed to have become extinct in the wild with no recent sightings recorded. Even though leopard as an animal is enlisted as 'not threatened' in the IUCN Red List, some sub-species of leopards have become endangered as a result of loss of habitat and illegal hunting. Only 30-35 Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) are remaining in the wild in Siberia, and thus it has been enlisted as critically endangered. Similarly, somewhere between 3,500-6,000 Snow leopards (Panthera unica) are found in the high-altitude mountain ranges of Central Asia and South Asia as a result of which this sub-species is declared endangered.
 
                      While the African lion is enlisted as vulnerable by IUCN, its cousin in Asia - the Asian lion (Panthera leo persica) is battling for its survival with somewhere around 400 individuals left in the last of its natural habitat in the state of Gujarat in India. While efforts are being made to implement conservation measures at the ground level, legal tangles have made it difficult for the environmentalists to implement these measures. The Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) population has come down drastically due to loss of habitat as a result of human encroachment in their natural habitat. With the total number of individuals in the wild estimated to be somewhere between 1,000 to 2,000 individuals, the Giant panda happens to be one of the ten most endangered animals of the world. Of the five extant sub-species of the rhinoceros, three sub-species - the Black rhino (Diceros bicornis), Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) and the Javan rhino (Rhiniceros sondaica) have become critically endangered, while the Indian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) is enlisted as vulnerable. Unabated poaching is the most prominent cause of extinction of this animal in the wilderness. Only 600 Bactrian camels aka the two-humped camel (Camelus ferus) are left in China, while their number in Mongolia happens to be approximately 350. In fact, the population of this species in Mongolia has come down by 50 percent over the last three decades as a result of large-scale hunting of this species for food. The species was declared critically endangered in 2002 as the estimated number of Bactrian camels in the wild had come down to 800 back then. Coming to North America, the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is fighting for its existence on the Earth with less than 200 individuals of this species remaining in the wild. After the IUCN enlisted the California Condor as a critically endangered species, captive breeding programs were initiated to ensure that this bird doesn't end up becoming extinct. The population of South Asian River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) has come down by a significant extent as a result of loss of habitat attributed to incessant water pollution and damming of rivers. There exist two sub-species of the South Asian River Dolphin - the Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and Indus River Dolphin (Platanista minor minor), and both have been declared endangered by the IUCN with less than 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Even non-human primates are threatened by extinction with the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) being enlisted as critically endangered species with less than 7,000 animals in the wild, and the Borneo Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) being enlisted as endangered with somewhere around 40,000-50,000 individuals in the wild. Even though it is the largest animal in the world, the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) has not been able to escape human wrath. Large-scale whaling - which continued through the 90s, resulted in a serious decline in the number of blue whales in the wild. In 2002, the population of this species was estimated to be somewhere between 5,000 to 12,000, as a result of which it was declared endangered by the IUCN. Though whaling has been curbed by a significant extent, the number of blue whales in the world is far from desired mark as yet. There have also been a couple of instances of animals being declared extinct in the wild, bred in captivity and reintroduced in the wild. In the United States of America, the Red Wolf (Canis rufus) was declared extinct in the wild in 1980s when the last of the individuals were caught in the wild in Texas. After successful captive breeding resulted in rise in the Red wolf population in captivity, the animal was re-introduced in North Carolina. However, it is still considered endangered, with less than 100 individuals in the wild. Do we really need to give importance to all these facts which suggest that several animals are threatened with extinction? Why do we even have to save these endangered species? All the members of kingdom Animalia come together to form a complicated ecological network, and extinction on any member of this network can result in serious imbalance in the overall ecosystem. When the apex predator becomes extinct, the number of primary and secondary consumers, most of which are herbivores, increases as there is no apex predator at the top of the food chain to keep a check on their numbers. These herbivores in turn begin feeding on the available vegetation, and destroy the green cover on the planet. Similarly, if the number of herbivores dwindle, the carnivores are left with no option but to resort to human settlements for food. This in turn results in human-animal conflicts resulting in casualties on both sides. 

 


Even though several species of monkeys are fighting for their basic survival on the planet today, the extinction threat for these animals fail to make it to the headlines, like the extinction threat for the animal species like the tigers or the rhinos does. This can be attributed to the fact that there are numerous species and sub-species of monkeys, some of which most of us are not even aware of. One can see a significant variation in the population of different monkey species. Some monkey species are found in abundance in their natural habitat, while some are enlisted as 'Critically Endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Which Species of Monkeys are Considered Endangered?

Even though there are approximately 264 species of monkeys in the world today, the rate at which their number is declining is giving the environmentalists some sleepless nights. The rapid decline over the last decade or so has brought many of these species on the verge of extinction. This decline in monkey population throughout the world can be traced to two important factors - excessive hunting and destruction of habitat. Several monkey species, including the Roloway monkey and the Pennant's red colobus monkey found in Africa, are excessively hunted for their meat, while the species such as the Miss Waldron's Red Colobus are hunted extensively for their skin which has a considerable demand in the international market.

It may be surprising for many, but even today these animals are being killed for the use of their various body parts in traditional medicine. Monkeys as pets are also gaining wide popularity, and hunters have been quick to capitalize on this fact. In a bid to capture these monkeys, hunters use snares which leave them injured, if not trapped, and eventually results in their death. Human encroachment has also resulted in wide scale destruction of habitat. Illegal logging, land clearance for agriculture, expanding human settlements and other such factors are causing the natural habitat of this animal to deplete at an alarming rate, thus leaving them homeless and vulnerable to hunting.


This list includes both - the New World monkeys, belonging to the Ceboidea super-family, and Old World monkeys, belonging to the super-family Cercopithecoidea.