ENDANGERED

ANIMALS
 ENDANGERED ANIMALS

• Endangered animals are animals that are in danger of becoming extinct.

This means that there will be no more of these animals alive on earth.
 WHY DO ANIMALS BECOME ENDANGERED?

Destruction of Habitat
• Humans destroy precious habitat--the natural environment of a living thing--when they fill swamps and marshes, dam
rivers and cut down trees to build homes, roads and other developments.

Pollution
• Oil spills, acid rain and water pollution have been devastating for many species of fish and birds.

Hunting and Fishing

• Many animals are over-hunted because their meat, fur and other parts are very valuable.

Exotic Species
• When animals or plants arrive into a new habitat from a foreign place they sometimes introduce diseases that the native
species can't fight. These "exotic" species can also prey on the native species.
 ENDANGERED ANIMAL CATEGORIES

• The term ‘endangered’ refers specifically to species listed as Critically Endangered,

Endangered, and Vulnerable. Here’s how that boils down:
 IUCN RED LIST

• Endangered species as classified by the International

Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are species
which have been categorized as very likely to become
extinct in future.
 IUCN RED LIST

So far, more than 96,500 species have been assessed for the Red List and more than 26,500 of
those are threatened with extinction. Here's how that breaks down:
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
 GHARIAL

• The gharial or the fish-eating crocodile, is the

longest living species of crocodilians in the world.
India’s Most Critically Endangered Species of
Reptile.

• The main threats to gharial are river pollution,

dam construction, and massive-scale fishing
operations. Other serious problems include illegal
sand mining, which destroys gharial egg-laying
grounds, and poaching.
 SIERRA NEVADA YELLOW-LEGGED FROG

• The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog is a true frog

endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California and
Nevada in the United States.

• Shallow lakes that dry in summer endanger this

high-elevation frog. Predation by non-native trout
also plays a large role in limiting breeding and
tadpole development.
 TUATARA

• Tuatara are rare, medium-sized reptiles found only

in New Zealand. They are the last survivors of an
order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the
dinosaurs.

• Tuatara, like many native New Zealand animals,

were threatened by habitat loss, harvesting, and
introduced species such as mustelids and rats.
 MADRAS SPOTTED SKINK

• The Madras spotted skink is an incredibly rare

limbless lizard that was originally described from a
single individual found in 1917, and it has only
been found once since 2003.

• The Madras spotted skink is found in the forest of

Orissa. This area of India is highly fragmented as
there has been extensive deforestation for fuel-
wood and agricultural expansion. Slash and burn
practices are common and the area is also under
pressure from livestock grazing.
CORALS
 CORAL REEF

• Coral, a sessile animal, relies on its relationship

with plant-like algae to build the largest structures
of biological origin on Earth.

• Human-caused activities are major threats to coral

reefs. Pollution, overfishing, destructive fishing
practices using dynamite or cyanide, collecting live
corals for the aquarium market, mining coral for
building materials, and a warming climate are
some of the many ways that people damage reefs
all around the world every day.
SHARKS & RAYS
 GANGES SHARK

• The Ganges Shark is a true river shark living in the

freshwater of the Ganges, Hooghly, Mahanadi,
and Brahmaputra Rivers in India.

• The Ganges Shark is threatened from habitat

destruction from pollution, dams, and barrages, as
well as overfishing. After being listed by the IUCN
as critically endangered, Indian government
banned Ganges Shark fishing.
 MALTESE RAY

• The Maltese ray is a species of fish in the family

Rajidae. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea off
the coasts of Algeria, Italy, Malta, and Tunisia. Its
natural habitat is open seas.

• It is threatened by Pollution, capture and habitat

loss
 BLUEFIN TUNA

• Bluefin tuna is a common name used to refer to

several species of tuna of the genus Thunnus.

• Bluefin tuna populations have declined severely

from overfishing and illegal fishing over the past
few decades –not just Atlantic bluefin tuna, but
also Pacific bluefin tuna and Southern bluefin
tuna. Population declines have been largely driven
by the demand for this fish in high end sushi
markets.
 SAND TIGER SHARK

• Commonly referred to as the Grey Nurse Shark, is

found along sandy coastlines, continental shelves,
and submerged reefs along the coasts of North
and South America, South Africa, Japan, and
Australia.

• Reasons for the species decline include directed

fishing and as by-catch. Its low rate of
reproduction further hampers its recovery.
CRUSTACEANS
 HORSESHOE CRAB

• Horseshoe crabs look like well-armored hubcaps.

They play an important role in the ecology and
survival of migratory shorebirds because their
eggs, laid on sandy intertidal beaches, is the main
source of food for millions of birds.

• Threats to horseshoe crabs include habitat loss

and overharvesting. Beach developments hinder
horseshoe crab breeding.
 PIEDMONT BLUE BURROWER

• The piedmont blue burrower, is a species of

crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is found in
North America.

• Small range size makes this species vulnerable to

extinction. The small size of individual populations
makes them vulnerable to land disturbing
activities.
 BARNACLES

• Barnacles are marine animals that live in or close

to sea water. They are one of the oldest surviving
creatures in the world, dating back millions of
years.

• Threatened by pollution, the fishing industry and

changes in climate. Plastics and toxic waste are
destroying aquatic ecosystems. Almost half of all
ocean pollution is from irresponsible human
activities that take place on land, including animal
agriculture, sewage, chemical spills, industrial
runoff and garbage dumping.
 TASMANIAN GIANT FRESHWATER
LOBSTER

• The spiny Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster is

blue to brown in colour and is only found in
northern Tasmania, in rivers and creeks that flow
into Bass Strait.

• Overfishing and habitat loss have seen the species

decline over the years
MAMMALS
 BENGAL TIGER

• The Bengal tiger is a tiger from a specific

population of the Panthera tigris tigris subspecies
that is native to the Indian subcontinent.

• There were eight tiger subspecies at one time, but

three became extinct during the 20th century.
Over the last 100 years, hunting and forest
destruction have reduced tiger populations from
hundreds of thousands of animals to perhaps
fewer than 2,500. Tigers are hunted as trophies,
and for body parts that are used in traditional
Chinese medicine.
 GOLDEN LANGUR

• Golden Langur is an old world monkey only found

in small region of Assam, bounded on the south
by the Brahmaputra River. It lives in troops and
feeds on seeds, buds and flowers.

• The main threats are habitat loss and hunting. The

forests on which langurs depend are disappearing
at an exponential rate as logging and agricultural
conversion continues.
 RED PANDA

• Red panda is a medium size arboreal mammal

native to the eastern Himalayas of India and
southwestern China.

• Their primary threats are habitat loss and

degradation, human interference and poaching.
 MOUNTAIN GORILLA

• Mountain gorilla is one of two subspecies of the

eastern gorilla and one of the world's largest living
primates.

• They are threatened by habitat loss, poaching,

disease and war.
BIRDS
 GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD

• The great Indian bustard is a bustard found on the

Indian subcontinent. A large bird with a horizontal
body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich like
appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of the
flying birds.

• Flying into power transmission lines and windmills

is a major factor behind the bustard’s decline.
 SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPER

• The spoon-billed sandpiper is a small wader which

breeds in northeastern Russia and winters in
Southeast Asia.

• The main threats to its survival are habitat loss on

its breeding grounds and loss of tidal flats through
its migratory and wintering range which are being
reclaimed for industry, infrastructure and
aquaculture and are becoming increasingly
polluted.
 SLENDER-BILLED VULTURE

• The slender-billed vulture is an Old-World vulture

species native to sub-Himalayan regions and
Southeast Asia.

• It has suffered an extremely rapid population

decline, particularly across the Indian
subcontinent, largely as a result of feeding on
carcasses of animals treated with the veterinary
drug diclofenac, perhaps in combination with
other causes.
 GIANT IBIS

• The giant ibis is a wading bird of the ibis family.

• The survival of Giant Ibis is seriously threatened

by habitat destruction, hunting, and human
disturbance. Deforestation and the draining of
wetlands for agricultural expansion reduce the
extent of wetlands available for these waterbirds
live and breed.
 WHY SHOULD WE SAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES?

• Plants and animals maintain the health of an ecosystem. And, when species become
endangered, it’s a sign that an ecosystem is out of balance. But why does this matter?
• For example, when grey wolves were hunted to near-extinction in the United States’
Yellowstone National Park, beaver populations also decreased significantly.
• This happened because elk populations that were usually hunted by wolves, were able to
graze freely and more heavily on the plants that were also needed by beavers to survive
during winter.
• A well-balanced ecosystem maintains the health of the environment. This ensures that
human beings have access to clean air and water, and fertile land for agriculture.
THANK YOU