Download Definitions

Endangered
Animals in Our
Midst
Definitions
Extinct
A species of plant or animal that is no longer living.
Endangered
A species that is in immediate danger of becoming extinct
and needs protection to survive.
Threatened
A species that is likely to become endangered if it is not
protected.
In the United States, there are over 400 animal species identified as
endangered, and over 150 animals that are threatened.
Extinct
• When the last of a type of plant or
animal in the world dies, such as
dinosaurs or wooly mammoths,
then they are extinct or lost
forever, and can never be brought
back.
• Since the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth Rock in 1620, more than
500 species in the United States
have become extinct.
• More species are going extinct
today because people are altering
the air, water, and land faster than
species can adapt.
Passenger pigeons became extinct in the
early 1900s due to destruction of their
forest habitat and extreme overhunting.
Endangered
An endangered species is one that is getting close to extinction.
Gray wolves are endangered in most of the United States. They once
roamed widely across North America. As predators, they keep their prey
in balance with nature by ensuring the prey animals do not become overpopulated. Before people understood how important predators are to
keeping a healthy balance in nature, many wolves were killed.
Threatened
A threatened species is likely to become endangered if the factors putting it at
risk are not reversed.
• The Stellar Sea Lion, which lives in
Alaska, is a threatened species. Its
population declined over 75%
between 1976 and 1990. The factors
that have contributed to its decline
include being caught in fishing
nets, being hunted, diseases,
contaminants, and increased
fishing, which has reduced its food
supply.
• New regulations have helped the
Stellar Sea Lion start to rebound in
recent years
Why Do Species Become
Endangered?
1. Habitat loss - When people remove or
change forests, rivers, wetlands, prairies,
beaches, and other ecosystems, there is
often no place left for plants, fish, and
wildlife.
2. Illegal killing or over-collection
3. Pesticides and pollution
4. Competition with other species
5. Disease
Whooping Cranes
Whooping cranes are endangered mainly because of habitat
loss. These large wading birds feed and nest in open marshes
and rivers, called wetlands, as they migrate between Canada
and the Gulf of Mexico with the changing seasons. Migrating
animals need appropriate habitats as they travel along their
migration route. Many wetlands have been lost to agriculture
and development.
Eagles
•
DDT, a pesticide, was being used on farms to
control bugs that harmed crops. When it
rained, DDT washed off the soil and into the
waterways. Bald eagles became poisoned
with DDT when they ate fish living in the
waterways contaminated with DDT.
•
Because of the DDT in their bodies, bald
eagles began laying eggs with shells so thin
they often broke, greatly reducing eagle
populations.
•
In 1972, the U.S. government banned the use
of DDT because of its harmfulness to the
health of animals and humans.
•
With efforts to protect eagle habitats and
reintroduce eagles into former habitats, the
number of adult nesting pairs in the lower 48
states has increased from 450 before the DDT
ban to over 4,000 now.
Man preparing to release bald eagle
into the wild.
Manatees
• Human activities are also the main problem facing the
endangered manatee, or sea cow.
• Manatees live in rivers, canals, and along the coast of
Florida, where people often use boats for recreation.
• Sometimes, speed boats run over the manatees, killing
or injuring them.
By enforcing laws to protect species, such
as slow speed zones in waters inhabited
by endangered animals, we can help rare
species survive.
Copperbelly Water Snake
In 1997, the copperbelly water snake was listed as a
threatened species in Indiana, Illinois, and
Michigan, due to habitat loss and pollution from
mining. It lives in a wetland ecosystem and is an
important predator as well as prey for many types
of wildlife.
Ecosystems
• All living things, from mammals
(including humans) to fish to insects to
plants, are connected and depend on
each other for survival.
• This system of living things depending
on one another and their environment is
called an ecosystem.
• The removal of one species or aspect of
the environment in an ecosystem can set
off a chain reaction affecting other
species, like the wetlands and the
whooping crane.
Endangered species show us that our
world may not be as healthy as we
think. We need to take better care of
it...there's no place else to go!
What Is Being Done to Help
Endangered and Threatened Species?
• In 1973, the U.S. enacted the Endangered Species Act to protect
disappearing plants and animals, and help make our world a
cleaner, safer place where they can live.
• More than 900 species of plants and animals in the U.S. are
protected by the Endangered Species Act.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for protecting
endangered and threatened species and the habitats they depend
on.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife representatives
work with a Florida panther.
Ways You Can Help
• Learn as much as you can about endangered species in your area
• Visit nearby wildlife refuges or nature centers
• Don’t buy species illegally taken from the wild (e.g., turtles)
• Don’t buy products made from threatened or endangered species
(e.g., ivory)
• Work with groups that help to clean up or restore local ecosystems
for species
• Contribute to organizations working to protect endangered species
and their habitats
It’s up to everyone to be a good steward of our
ecosystems and the species that live in them.
The choices you make every day affect our environment.
By conserving energy, water, and other resources, you are
helping the environment and the species that live in it.
We can
do it!
Thank
you!
Thank
you!
Thank
you!