Endangered Species
How many endangered species are there?
Polar Bears
- The outer layer of fur is hollow and reflects light giving the fur a white color. The white fur helps the bear remain camouflaged in icy and snowy habitat.
- The skin is black under the fur; this black is evident only on the nose.
- The footpads of a polar bears’ paws have a kind of “non-slip” surface allowing them to get traction on slippery ice.
- Polar bears have a thick layer of fat below the surface of the skin, which acts as insulation on the body to trap heat. This is especially important while swimming and during the frigid arctic winter.
- Large size reduces the amount of surface area exposed to the cold per unit of body mass which generate heat.
- Polar bear dens can be 38 degrees F warmer than the outside temperature.
Polar bears are in serious danger of going extinct due to global warming.The bears were the first species to be listed by the U.S. Endangered Species Act as threatened by extinction primarily because of global warming. This listing happened in 2008 because of the ongoing loss of critical habitat for polar bears, the arctic sea ice on which they live and depend to hunt their almost exclusive prey.. seals.
Bonobo
Wild bonobos can only be found in forests south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sometimes known as chimpanzee. Bonobos weren’t recognized as a separate species until 1929. As the last great ape to be scientifically described, much remains unknown about the bonobo, including the extent of its geographic range. Efforts to survey the species over the past two decades have been slowed down by the remote nature of its habitat.
Though the size of the bonobo population is largely unknown. It has likely been declining for the last 30 years. Scientists believe that the decline will continue for the next 45 to 55 years due to the bonobo’s low reproductive rate and growing threats.
- The population is declining in the last 30 years
- It will continue for the next 45 to 55 years because of the Bonono's low reproduction rate
- They can only be found in certain places such as forest south of the Congo River
- They are rare
- The species past two decades have been slowed down by the remote nature of its habitat
Amazon River Dolphin
- They have long snouts that get caught in things
- They also have fins that can be injured
- They have enemies that are bigger than them
- They are also rare so people want to have or kill them
Saola
- They live in the Annamite Mountains
- They are very popular
- There aren't every many of them around
- Scientist don't know much about them to keep them from going extinct
- They are also very rare
- People set traps to catch the rare animal and then the traps kill the Saola
- Once they go extinct theres no way to get them back