Endangered Species: How Much Do You Actually Know?

Many people do not know about endangered species or why they are endangered. Many animals are endangered because of habitat loss. Many are hunted for skin, fur, meat, horns, etc. I am writing about this because I do not think many are aware of endangered animals. This list is not necessarily the MOST endangered, but they are all critically endangered, meaning they are quickly decreasing. I chose these particular animals as they either have silly names or look attractive. These animals are critically endangered, according to the Red List.

1. Arakan Forest Turtle

Location: Asia

The Arakan forest turtle is critically endangered. This species lives in southeastern Asia. These turtles are semi-terrestrial, meaning they can live in water and on land. As youngsters, the Arakan forest turtle spends most of its time in the water, but as an adult, it spends most of its time on the ground as it is easier to hide. Did you know these turtles are only active when it rains or if they require food? These turtles are usually very tame; however, they become aggressive when looking for live prey. They were considered extinct in 1908 but rediscovered in 1994 at food markets. These animals are endangered by many things, such as burning bamboo forests. Also, people have trained dogs to find these turtles to sell them at food markets.

African wild ass

location: Africa

This animal is found in eastern Africa. These animals are believed to be descendants of donkeys. There are two types of these animals; however, both have at least one stripe. The Nubians have their stripe(s) across their shoulder, and the Somalis have their stripe(s) on their legs. The African wild as has big ears, which help keep it cool and helps them hear its predators; They also do not need regular water. Did you know that out of the 570 left, 400 are found in Eritrea? Less than 160 are found in Ethiopia, and Somalia has only ten left. These animals tend to live alone but do not mistake this for them not being social. These species are endangered because they are used as domesticated animals, and their bones are used for medicinal purposes. That is crazy. Another reason their population is decreasing is that there is not enough water, and the water that they do have in Africa is going to the people, so the animals do not have enough.

Iberian lynx

location:europe

These animals live in southern Europe. These animals are easily recognized as they have thick fur and long legs, and their bodies are covered in spots. However, did you know this species has significantly declined over the last two centuries, so much that only two are fully confirmed? A few things are causing these animals to decrease so rapidly; for example, people have been building so much that their habitats are disappearing. Without habitats, they are forced to live by the road; this means that they get run over frequently. Also, they are hunted for their meat by farmers and gamekeepers( people who breed and protect animals on private land) as they threaten their animals.

Northern hairy nosed wombat

location:oceania

The northern hairy-nosed wombat is found in Australia and New Zealand. These wombats are one of three types; however, this type is the world's most giant burrowing herbivore. They are marsupials, just like kangaroos. These animals share their burrow with up to 10 other wombats; their burrows maintain a stable humid temperature which helps them retain moisture in the dryer months. You better not think that just because these animals have short legs, they are not powerful, wombat legs are powerful, and they have broad heads just like the other two species. They can be somewhat clumsy; however, if needed, they can run up to 40km for a short distance. In the summer, they only eat for 2 hours, but in the winter, they can eat for up to 6 hours. They can go for multiple days without eating if the food supply is low. Their eyesight is not very sharp, so they depend primarily on their noses and other scenes. One of the big reasons their population has declined is because of European colonization. These animals can only be spotted in two protected sites. Only 163 are known to be still alive, and wild dog attacks wiped out 10% of their population.

Brown spider monkey

location:americas

 These animals live in South America. They have become Peoples’s pets and are close to extinction. They are easily identified by their long front limbs, which are funnily longer than their back limbs. Their small tails are powerful and are even used as a fifth limb. These animals have brown fur bodies with white fur on their face as well as on their belly. Their beautiful pale blue eyes and triangular white spot on their head make them even more unique. They can live up to 27 years in the wild and enjoy eating ripe fruit; however, during the dryer season, when ripe fruit is unavailable, they eat leaves, honey, old decaying wood, and even insects. They try to spend most of their time in the tree but go to the ground to eat soil and clay. Scientists have tried to figure out why but they aren't sure. These animals are endangered because of habitat loss and deforestation because these monkeys like to live in thick forests. These beautiful monkeys are hunted by multiple things, such as people, jaguars, mountain lions, and eagles.

Alabama cave fish

location:americas

These fish can be found in North America. The Alabama cavefish are eyeless, and they have no natural pigmentation. Their fins are nearly see-through; they have flattened snout that looks like a duck head, and the reason for this will shock you; their head makes up one-third of their entire body. People think that the cavefish incubates its young in its mouth. For that reason, their head is in this shape. Their fins are spiked and grow from 30-58 millimeters. Only nine have been observed, and only 100 are thought to exist. These animals do not reproduce every year like usual; they only reproduce when the cave where they can be found floods. When this happens, it causes a hormonal reaction. They eat mites, small beetles, and also bat guano. They are only found in one cave, the Key Cave in Lauderdale County, Alabama.

Amsterdam Albatross

location:antartica

These birds can be found in the Amsterdam islands, near the arctic circle in the Indian sea. Albatrosses are some of the most fantastic gliders of all birds. They can stay in the air for hours, even during windy weather, without flapping their extremely long, narrow wings. They enjoy feeding on seawater and squid; these creatures enjoy jumping on ships and munching on garbage, just like other oceanic birds. Unfortunately, these birds are some of the few beads to die of old age. The birds were often caught on hooks by sailors for their meat. At one point, professional plume hunters proceeded to raid breeding grounds to get these birds. The species were slaughtered in large masses for their feathers because they were used in the millinery trade

In conclusion, we have learned about critically endangered animals from every continent around the world. To revise, a critically endangered animal is an animal that's population is rapidly decreasing. These animals are critically endangered, according to the red list.