ENDANGERED SPECIES

An Endangered species is a species which has

been categorized by the Internatiional Union for
conservationof natrure (IUCN) Red list as likely to
become extinct.

"Endangered" is the second most

severe conservation status for wild populations in
the IUCN's schema after critically endangered (CR).
 Black Rhino
Black rhinos have two horns, and
occasionally a third small
posterior horn. The front horn is
longer than the rear which makes
them lucrative targets for the
illegal trade in rhino horn.

Today, black rhinos remain

Critically Endangered because of
rising demand for rhino horn,
which has driven poaching to
record levels.
 Cross River gorilla
Cross River gorillas live in a region
populated by many humans who
have encroached upon the
gorilla’s territory—clearing forests
for timber and to create fields for
agriculture and livestock.
Poaching occurs in the forests as
well, and the loss of even a few of
these gorillas has a detrimental
effect on such a small population.
 HAWKSBILL TURTLE
Hawksbills are named for their
narrow, pointed beak. They also
have a distinctive pattern of
overlapping scales on their shells
that form a serrated-look on the
edges. These colored and
patterned shells make them
highly-valuable and commonly
sold as "tortoiseshell" in markets.
They are much sought after
throughout the tropics for their
beautiful brown and yellow
carapace plates that are
manufactured into tortoiseshell
items for jewelry and ornaments.
 Pangolins
These solitary, primarily nocturnal
animals, are easily recognized by
their full armor of scales. A
startled pangolin will cover its
head with its front legs, exposing
its scales to any potential
predator. If touched or grabbed it
will roll up completely into a ball,
while the sharp scales on the tail
can be used to lash out. Pangolins
are in high demand for their meat
scales. Scales are used in
traditional medicine and folk
remedies to treat a range of
ailments from asthma to
rheumatism and arthritis.
 SUMATRAN ELEPHANT
Sumatran elephants typically
have smaller tusks but they are
enough to tempt poachers who
kill the animals and sell their
tusks on the illegal ivory market.
 SAOLA
Saola are recognized by two
parallel horns with sharp ends,
which can reach 20 inches in
length and are found on both
males and females. They are a
cousin of cattle but resemble an
antelope. Saola have striking
white markings on the face and
large maxillary glands on the
muzzle. As forests disappear
under the chainsaw to make way
for agriculture, plantations and
infrastructure, saola are being
squeezed into smaller spaces.
 SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN
The Sumatran orangutan is
almost exclusively arboreal, living
among the trees of tropical
rainforests. This has been
attributed to mass fruit on fig
trees, where groups of Sumatran
orangutans can come together to
feed. Orangutan habitat in north
Sumatra is being lost at an
extremely high rate, mainly due
to fire and conversion of forests
to oil palm plantations and other
agricultural development. This
species depends on high-quality
forests.
 VAQUITA
Vaquita, the world’s most rare
marine mammal, is on the edge
of extinction. The vaquita has a
large dark ring around its eyes
and dark patches on its lips that
form a thin line from the mouth
to the pectoral fins. Its dorsal
surface is dark gray, sides pale
gray and ventral surface white
with long, light gray markings.
 AFRICAN WILD DOG
The wild dog is one of the world’s
most endangered mammals. Wild
dogs are social and gather in
packs of around ten individuals,
but some packs number more
than 40. They are opportunistic
predators that hunt medium-
sized ruminants, such as gazelles.
In a sprint, African wild dogs can
reach speeds of more than 44
miles per hour.
 BLACK SPIDER MONKEY
The black spider monkey—also
known as the Guiana or red-faced
spider monkey. The destruction of
tropical rainforests and threats
from hunting pose the greatest
challenge to the black spider
monkey’s survival. Because they
prefer mature tropical forests and
seldom venture into disturbed
habitats, these monkeys are
especially vulnerable to the
effects of forest fragmentation.
 BLACK-FOOTED FERRET
Habitat loss, reduced prey
populations, and non-native
disease threaten the recovery of
the black-footed ferret. The ferret
is entirely dependent on the
presence of prairie dogs and their
colonies for food, shelter and
raising young. Without ample
reintroduction sites and
distribution of prairie dogs, full
black-footed ferret recovery
remains difficult.
 BLUE WHALE
The blue whale is the
largest
animal on the planet, weighing as
much as 200 tons (approximately
33 elephants). The blue whale
has a heart the size of a
Volkswagen Beetle. Its stomach
can hold one ton of krill and it
needs to eat about four tons of
krill each day. They are the
loudest animals on Earth and are
even louder than a jet engine.
Their calls reach 188 decibels,
while a jet reaches 140 decibels.
Their low frequency whistle can
be heard for hundreds of miles
and is probably used to attract
other blue whales.
 GIANT PANDA
This peaceful creature with a
distinctive black and white coat is
adored by the world and
considered a national treasure in
China. The rarest member of the
bear family, pandas live mainly in
bamboo forests high in the
mountains of western China,
where they subsist almost
entirely on bamboo. They must
eat from 26 to 84 pounds of it
every day, a formidable task for
which they use their enlarged
wrist bones that function as
opposable thumbs.
 GREEN TURTLE
The green turtle is one of the
largest sea turtles and the only
herbivore among the different
species. Green turtles are in fact
named for the greenish color of
their cartilage and fat, not their
shells. Green turtles are found
mainly in tropical and subtropical
waters. Like other sea turtles,
they migrate long distances
between feeding grounds and
the beaches from where they
hatched. Classified as
endangered, green turtles are
threatened by overharvesting of
their eggs, hunting of adults,
being caught in fishing gear and
loss of nesting beach sites.
 SEA LIONS
Sea lions haul out in large

colonies on rocks and sandy

shores on the Islands. They move

into the water to feed and cool

off as needed.
 GANGES RIVER DOLPHIN
Dolphins are one of the oldest
creatures in the world along with
some species of turtles, crocodiles
and sharks. Ganges river dolphins
once lived in the Ganges-
Brahmaputra -Meghna & Karnaphuli-
Sangu river systems of Nepal, India,
and Bangladesh.
The Ganges river dolphin can only live
in freshwater and is essentially blind.
They hunt by emitting ultrasonic
sounds, which bounces off of fish and
other prey, enabling them to “see” an
image in their mind. They are
frequently found alone or in small
groups, and generally a mother and
calf travel together.
 SNOW LEOPARD
The snow leopard’s powerful build
allows it to scale great steep
slopes with ease. Its hind legs give
the snow leopard the ability to
leap six times the length of its
body. A long tail provides balance
and agility and also wraps around
the resting snow leopard as
protection from the cold.

For millennia, this magnificent cat

was the king of the mountains.
The mountains were rich with
their prey such as blue sheep,
Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots,
pikas and hares.
 The red panda is slightly
larger RED PANDA
than a domestic cat with a bear-
like body and thick russet fur. The
belly and limbs are black, and
there are white markings on the
side of the head and above its
small eyes. Red pandas are very
skillful and acrobatic animals that
predominantly stay in trees.
Almost 50 percent of the red
panda’s habitat is in the Eastern
Himalayas. They use their long,
bushy tails for balance and to
cover themselves in winter,
presumably for warmth. Primarily
an herbivore, red panda is
bamboo or plant eating animal.
 MONARCH BUTTERFLY
Monarch butterflies hibernate in
the mountain forests, where a less
extreme climate provides them a
better chance to survive. Adult
monarch butterflies possess two
pairs of brilliant orange-red wings,
featuring black veins and white
spots along the edges. Males, who
possess distinguishing black dots
along the veins of their wings, are
slightly bigger than females. Each
adult butterfly lives only about
four to five weeks.
 JAGUAR
Jaguars are strong swimmers and
climbers and require large areas
of tropical rain forest and
stretches of riverbank to survive.
Hunting and habitat loss due to
deforestation continue to threaten
the survival of these marvelous
cats.
 TUNA
If fish were like cars, tuna would
be the Ferraris of the ocean—
sleek, powerful, and made for
speed. Their torpedo-shaped
bodies streamline their movement
through water, and their special
swimming muscles enable them to
cruise the ocean highways with
great efficiency.
The Atlantic bluefin can reach ten
feet in length and weigh as much
as 1500 pounds (more than a
horse). Their specialized body
shape, fins and scales enable some
species of tuna to swim as fast as
43 miles per hour.
 SLOTH
Sloths—the sluggish tree-dwellers
of Central and South America—
spend their lives in the tropical
rain forests. They move through
the canopy at a rate of about 40
yards per day, munching on leaves,
twigs and buds. Sloths have an
exceptionally low metabolic rate
and spend 15 to 20 hours per day
sleeping. And surprisingly enough,
the long-armed animals are
excellent swimmers. They
occasionally drop from their
treetop perches into water for a
paddle.
 POISON DART FROG
Many other frog species
camouflage themselves in the
wild, but the poison dart frog
uses its brightly colored skin to
warn predators that it is unfit
to eat. The frog's skin secretes
a dangerous poison that can
paralyze and even kill
predators. There are more than
100 species of poison dart
frogs, including those that live
in the Amazon.
Climate change and habitat
loss threaten their survival.
 Amur leopard
The Amur leopard is solitary.
Nimble-footed and strong, it
carries and hides unfinished kills
so that they are not taken by
other predators. They live for 10-
15 years, and in captivity up to 20
years. Similar to other leopards,
the Amur leopard can run at
speeds of up to 37 miles per hour.
This incredible animal has been
reported to leap more than 19
feet horizontally and up to 10 feet
vertically. The Amur leopard is
also known as the Far East
leopard, the Manchurian leopard
or the Korean leopard. The Amur
leopard is Endangered & poached
largely for its beautiful, spotted
fur.