What kind of endangered species are there

Extinction is the complete disappearance of a species from Earth. Species go extinct every year, but historically the average rate of extinction has been very slow with a few exceptions. The fossil record reveals five uniquely large mass extinction events during which significant events such as asteroid strikes and volcanic eruptions caused widespread extinctions over relatively short periods of time.

Some scientists think we might have entered our sixth mass extinction event driven largely by human activity. Our planet is dependent on an interconnected system.

If we lose one species, how does that impact the whole system? What if we lose hundreds? Help your students understand the gravity of extinction with these classroom resources. Biodiversity refers to the variety of organisms found in a particular habitat. It is important to maintain biodiversity because we rely on it for ecosystem services, which fall into four main categories: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting. The earth provides these to us for free and they are critical to achieving a planet in balance.

Clouded Leopard. Cuban Crocodile. Ground Pangolin. Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Monk Seal. Panamanian Golden Frog. Polar Bear. Red Wolf. There are only around to left in the wild.

Their decline is due to several issues, though all human-made. Habitat loss , pollution and entanglement in fishing nets pose some of the biggest threats, along with poachers that target them for use in traditional medicine. Kakapos are nocturnal ground-dwelling parrots from New Zealand, and yet another example of an animal brought to the edge of extinction by humans.

They are critically endangered with only around individuals remaining, each one with an individual name. They were once common throughout New Zealand and Polynesia but now inhabit just two small islands off the coast of southern New Zealand.

One of the main threats to Kakapos is predation from introduced species such as cats and stoats that hunt using scent. It is effective against predators that rely on sight to hunt but not smell. Females also leave the nest unattended when finding food, leaving the eggs freely available to predators. Intensive conservation measures mean the population is on the increase now, which is positive.

But, genetic diversity is low among the remaining kakapo, which could affect survival in the future, especially if they are struck by a disease. That number is now estimated to be less than Like all species on our endangered list, humans are their biggest threat.

Their beautiful coats are popular with poachers as are their bones which they sell for use in traditional Asian medicine. They are also at risk from habitat loss due primarily to natural and human-made fires. Climate change is also changing Amur leopard habitat and leading to a decrease in prey availability. The vaquita is both the smallest and the most endangered marine mammal in the world. It has been classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN since , and in , there were only around 6 to 22 vaquitas left.

Groups of species that have a tendency to inbreed usually have little genetic variation, because no new genetic information is introduced to the group. Disease is much more common, and much more deadly, among inbred groups. Inbred species do not have the genetic variation to develop resistance to the disease. For this reason, fewer offspring of inbred groups survive to maturity. Loss of genetic variation can occur naturally. Cheetah s are a threatened species native to Africa and Asia.

These big cat s have very little genetic variation. Biologist s say that during the last ice age , cheetahs went through a long period of inbreeding.

As a result, there are very few genetic differences between cheetahs. They cannot adapt to changes in the environment as quickly as other animals, and fewer cheetahs survive to maturity. Cheetahs are also much more difficult to breed in captivity than other big cats, such as lions. Human activity can also lead to a loss of genetic variation. Overhunt ing and overfish ing have reduced the populations of many animals.

Reduced population means there are fewer breeding pairs. A breeding pair is made up of two mature members of the species that are not closely related and can produce healthy offspring.

With fewer breeding pairs, genetic variation shrinks. Monoculture , the agricultural method of growing a single crop , can also reduce genetic variation. Modern agribusiness relies on monocultures. Almost all potatoes cultivate d, sold, and consumed, for instance, are from a single species, the Russet Burbank.

Potatoes, native to the Andes Mountains of South America, have dozens of natural varieties. The genetic variation of wild potatoes allows them to adapt to climate change and disease. For Russet Burbanks, however, farmers must use fertilizer s and pesticides to ensure healthy crops because the plant has almost no genetic variation. Plant breeders often go back to wild varieties to collect genes that will help cultivated plants resist pests and drought, and adapt to climate change.

However, climate change is also threatening wild varieties. That means domesticated plants may lose an important source of traits that help them overcome new threats. The Red List has seven levels of conservation: least concern, near threatened, vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild, and extinct.

Each category represents a different threat level. Species that are not threatened by extinction are placed within the first two categories—least concern and near-threatened. Those that are most threatened are placed within the next three categories, known as the threatened categories —vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered. Those species that are extinct in some form are placed within the last two categories—extinct in the wild and extinct.

Classifying a species as endangered has to do with its range and habitat, as well as its actual population. For this reason, a species can be of least concern in one area and endangered in another. The gray whale, for instance, has a healthy population in the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of North and South America.

The population in the western Pacific, however, is critically endangered. Least Concern Least concern is the lowest level of conservation. A species of least concern is one that has a widespread and abundant population. Human beings are a species of least concern, along with most domestic animal s, such as dogs and cats. Many wild animals, such as pigeons and houseflies, are also classified as least concern. Near Threatened A near threatened species is one that is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

Many species of violet s, native to tropical jungle s in South America and Africa, are near threatened, for instance. They have healthy populations, but their rain forest habitat is disappearing at a fast pace.

People are cutting down huge areas of rain forest for development and timber. Many violet species are likely to become threatened.

Vulnerable Species The definitions of the three threatened categories vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered are based on five criteria: population reduction rate, geographic range, population size, population restrictions, and probability of extinction.

Threatened categories have different threshold s for these criteria. As the population and range of the species decreases, the species becomes more threatened. This decline is measured over 10 years or three generations of the species, whichever is longer. A generation is the period of time between the birth of an animal and the time it is able to reproduce. Mice are able to reproduce when they are about one month old. Mouse populations are mostly tracked over year periods.

An elephant's generation lasts about 15 years. So, elephant populations are measured over year periods. A species is vulnerable if its population has declined at least 50 percent and the cause of the decline is known. Habitat loss is the leading known cause of population decline. A species is also classified as vulnerable if its population has declined at least 30 percent and the cause of the decline is not known. A new, unknown virus, for example, could kill hundreds or even thousands of individuals before being identified.

An area of occupancy is where a specific population of that species resides. This area is often a breeding or nesting site in a species range. The species is also vulnerable if that population declines by at least 10 percent within 10 years or three generations, whichever is longer.

A species is vulnerable if it is restricted to less than 1, mature individuals or an area of occupancy of less than 20 square kilometers 8 square miles.

These formulas calculate the chances a species can survive, without human protection, in the wild. Vulnerable Species: Ethiopian Banana Frog The Ethiopian banana frog Afrixalus enseticola is a small frog native to high- altitude areas of southern Ethiopia. It is a vulnerable species because its area of occupancy is less than 2, square kilometers square miles.

The extent and quality of its forest habitat are in decline. Threats to this habitat include forest clearance, mostly for housing and agriculture.